It will be a lot of fun on September 3 in terms of events. For example, Ajax plays against Cambuur in the Johan Cruijff Arena, with more than 50,000 supporters. In addition, the Kensington concert in the Ziggo Dome is almost completely sold out for about 16,000 visitors. There is also a concert in the AFAS: singer Yade Lauren performs for 6000 visitors. The icing on the cake that weekend is also the Grand Prix of Zandvoort, where 110,000 visitors are expected.
All events therefore ensure that no trains run to the Bijlmer ArenA between 14.15 and 20.30. And that’s not the only station that suffers from the crowds. No trains stop at Amsterdam Holendrecht and part of Duivendrecht station either.
Safety
So it all has to do with the safety of the people. “We have an extremely large number of travelers that day,” NS spokesman Erik Kroeze told EditieNL. “A lot of people come to Zandvoort, the Grand Prix has been on the agenda for years.” On top of that, two concerts and a football match.
In the Amsterdam region, NS cannot handle all those travelers at the same time. But the organization does not really want the trains to run at all. “We have been in talks with the parties involved for a long time.” For example, there has been a conversation with Ajax. “There was hope that the match could be moved, but that did not work out. We fully understand that.”
The fact that safety cannot be guaranteed is due to several factors. “You are dealing with maximum capacity and a shortage of colleagues. You cannot just leave this to the carrier,” says Kroeze. “We then have to look for the best solution.”
Reputational damage
Just because this is the best solution at the moment, doesn’t mean it’s a good solution for everyone. Ronald Fiolet is disappointed by the fact that there are no trains. “We think it is important that our visitors can always use the train.”
He continues: “It is mainly insecurity that now arises among visitors. You do not want that. The train is a comfortable way to go to a concert, which is why it is important to us.” Fiolet wants the area around the Ziggo Dome to be easily accessible. “A place where people can quickly leave afterwards. But if traffic is stuck because there are no trains, it affects our reputation.”
