Major rail disruption hit parts of the Netherlands, including Amsterdam, on Tuesday after suspected deliberate sabotage of the tracks, according to railway infrastructure operator ProRail. Pipes and cables were found placed on lines in more than 35 incidents across the centre and north of the country, tricking signalling systems into believing trains were present and preventing traffic control from clearing routes. Prime Minister Rob Jetten called the incidents "disruptive and life-threatening", and police have launched a criminal investigation, though no suspects or motives have yet been identified.

Routes to Schiphol Airport, Eindhoven and Utrecht were among those affected, with some level crossings closed and knock-on disruption to roads; operator NS said the scale of the chaos made replacement bus services impossible to arrange. An earlier incident saw a train "strike metal" near Steenwijk on Monday without further damage. The disruption coincided with Prinsjesdag, the Dutch budget day, and farmer protests involving burning hay bales, though authorities have found no confirmed link between the sabotage and the Farmers Defence Force, which denied responsibility. The events echo a suspected act of sabotage behind a train derailment in Normandy, France, last Friday, which is also under investigation.