Objects placed on Dutch railway tracks cause widespread service disruptions

Someone placed metal pipes on railway tracks at many locations across the Netherlands on Tuesday morning, causing serious travel problems during rush hour.

ProRail, the company that manages the rail network, said the pipes were put there deliberately. It is treating the incident as suspected sabotage. The pipes were about 1.5 metres long and were found at between 15 and 24 locations in central, eastern, and western parts of the country.

One train hit a pipe near Steenwijk, but nobody was hurt. Trains to Amsterdam, Utrecht, Schiphol Airport, and several other cities were delayed or cancelled. A Eurostar service to Paris was also affected.