NS is now refunding half the price of the ticket and IC Direct supplement for any delay exceeding 15 minutes and the full fare and supplement for any delay of more than 30 minutes.
Punctuality has been a problem on HSL South for some time. Software problems in the ETCS Level 2 train protection system have plagued the fleet of Traxx electric locomotives with around 10 such incidents a week. These issues can often be resolved within 20 minutes, but in some cases have taken hours. NS and Bombardier have launched an improvement programme in a bid to bolster reliability.
NS continues to insist that infrastructure on HSL South needs modifications and improvements to strengthen operational performance. The line is currently used by five IC Direct services per hour per direction as well as Thalys and Eurostar international high-speed services.
NS is lengthening IC Direct trains to cope with increasing demand for the service.
