Strike 🙄

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Good luck!

Under normal circumstances I'd agree. But with strikes prohibiting me from getting the booked train to reach my flight, there should be a bit of goodwill to make things easier for me as a traveller.

Who sold this ticket?

For what train operator?

From where to where? Kaldenkirchen, Germany (DE) is not the same train station as Venlo, The Netherlands (NL).

This question is difficult to answer.

But Olav93 probably guessed right.

You're allowed to use the ticket later but not on an earlier date. However, if the expected delay is 1 hour or more, you can get a full refund.

It's actually a "Deutsche Bahn" Ticket, because it (theoretically) starts at a German station. But yeah, I think I'll go for the refund. 

Bedankt allemaal!

The strike will last until 09:00. However, disruptions may also occur immediately after that.The strike will last until 09:00, only in the north of the Netherlands. However, disruptions can also occur immediately after that. The expectation is that you can travel normally to Utrecht, also in the morning.

The trains are not currently cancelled. Therefore, you are not entitled to a refund. Please contact the company where you bought your ticket by telephone, perhaps a goodwill gesture is possible.

Bus 470 runs between Alphen aan den Rijn and Schiphol. This way, it is still possible to reach the airport. The detour and bus are at your own expense.

You can pay for the bus with your debit card or credit card. See www.ovpay.nl/en

A refund because of delay is only possible afterwards.

On Wednesday however, there's only a strike in Amsterdam planned between 6 and 9. At what time do you plan to arrive at Schiphol? Trains may already restart around that time.

Not necessarily, that depends on whether any alternative is offered within 100 minutes if you get stranded.

That only helps if you risk it and get stranded 'though. Not if you wanna change your plans in advance to avoid getting stranded.

But I’m guessing DB knows there will be strikes in the Amsterdam region. While we may not know exactly which trains will be canceled, we do know it will be impossible to get close to Amsterdam Centraal by train to take the few trains that are still running between Amsterdam Centraal and Schiphol Airport.

Isn’t it quite last-minute for TS to request a refund just one day before the planned departure?

The awful planning from NS shouldn't be the reason why we can't request a refund for planned strikes.

I planned the 06:03 from Venlo, arriving in Schiphol at 08:something, so I would be right within the announced strike times. My flight is at 10:20, so I'd better avoid any risk of getting stranded. Realising only on Wednesday morning that something won't work would be too late. 😉 

This route does not take you through the strike area. Train and bus run every 30 minutes.

In RE13, sit at the front (direction of travel) of the train.

between Utrecht and Alphen aan den Rijn you will need to buy a new train ticket.

Pay for the bus with your debit card or credit card.

At https://www.schiphol.nl/en/blog/choose-your-own-time-slot-for-security/ can you reserve a time slot for a quick check at Schiphol Airport.

Again, earlier travel is not officially possible. But ask this question at the sales point of your card.

Tip for next time. RE193to Venlo are German train tickets valid, also Deutschlandticket and Nordrhein Westfalen ticket are valid to Venlo. At NS you could have paid with your debit card or credit card by holding it against the check-in pole.

Seinhuis schreef:

 

This route does not take you through the strike area. Train and bus run every 30 minutes.

Pay for the bus with your debit card or credit card.

At https://www.schiphol.nl/en/blog/choose-your-own-time-slot-for-security/ can you reserve a time slot for a quick check at Schiphol Airport.

 

 

 

Again, earlier travel is not officially possible. But ask this question at the sales point of your card.

 

 

Tip for next time. RE19 to Venlo are German train tickets valid, also Deutschlandticket and Nordrhein Westfalen ticket are valid to Venlo. At NS you could have paid with your debit card or credit card by holding it against the check-in pole.

 

But TS has to fly at 10:20 hour. As het takes this route, het is allready too late.  

So TS should just take the risk with the possibility of never receiving a refund and paying twice for a single train trip?

If topic starter bought a DB ticket like below, check the conditions for cancellation.

Normally a train ride from Kaldenkirchen to Venlo lasts five minutes.

Now it will be a train replacing bus, requiring much more time.

Maybe this is the best option. All the trains don’t pass Amsterdam, except the first one, but that’s why the transfer is before Amsterdam.

Only there is no guarantee it will work out, last strikes everything was chaos, even in the afternoon. Customer support doesn’t have an answer either about which trains will go and which don’t, they will give the advice to check the planner close to departure. I think you’re best chance is to be as early as possible and look for multiple traveloptions in advance.

So I hope you’ll make it! 

Well, thank you everyone for your efforts! 👍

I guess unless I get a "go" for Wednesday's trains from an official source in time, I'll play it safe and travel to Amsterdam already on Tuesday afternoon. 🤷‍♂️

The strike is not just Amsterdam as a city but the whole area controlled by the train dispatchers from Amsterdam. That includes the line from Leiden to Schiphol as well.

Kairos schreef:

Maybe this is the best option. All the trains don’t pass Amsterdam, except the first one, but that’s why the transfer is before Amsterdam.

Only there is no guarantee it will work out, last strikes everything was chaos, even in the afternoon. Customer support doesn’t have an answer either about which trains will go and which don’t, they will give the advice to check the planner close to departure. I think you’re best chance is to be as early as possible and look for multiple traveloptions in advance.

So I hope you’ll make it! 

There will be no train running between Leiden and Schiphol before ~9.30. The last train in this advice will not run beyond Leiden, as the Schiphol station is in the strike area.

I would advice to travel to Schiphol or Amsterdam on Tuesday and take a hotel.

Good point. The ticket can probably be fully refunded if cancelled in advance.

There is a bit more information but still not enough to request a refund…

No trains in Noord-Holland and parts of Flevoland and Utrecht. There will also be no trains between Leiden, Schiphol and Haarlem. And no trains on the HSL between Rotterdam Centraal and Amsterdam Centraal.

It is safe to say you cannot get at Schiphol with your original planned journey (and some of the alternative journeys shared here) there is more information now than there was before.... Maybe customer service might actually get you a refund now?

It's quite likely that a full normal refund is possible before validity starts, see above.

A refund is not needed, a new ticket (or coupon/voucher) for Venlo - Schiphol on Tuesday is sufficient (the validity date of the current ticket cannot be changed).