The badgers are protected animals and therefore permission is first required from the competent authority.
Train traffic between Den Bosch and Boxtel was halted at around 21 p.m. on Tuesday, March 13. Badgers have undercut the track at Esch. As a result, the track can subside and the safety of train traffic can no longer be guaranteed. Very drastic for travelers and carriers, but there is no other way. Prorail is doing everything it can to be able to drive again as soon as possible.
Badgers occasionally choose to dig burrows in railway embankments. The area around the railway is often quiet and the slope of a railway embankment is ideal for a badger to burrow into.
John Voppen, CEO at ProRail, notes that they have to suspend train traffic for the second time in a week because badgers undermine a railway track and that it then takes a lot of time to tackle this because we have to get permission from the competent authority. In the interests of travelers and carriers, more space is really needed to be able to take action more quickly. Prorail is of course in urgent consultation with the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management about this.
protected
Restoration of the track and the subsoil is necessary, but we do not yet know when that can take place. The badgers are protected animals and therefore permission is first required from the competent authority. The badger setts had been known to ProRail for some time and a required procedure had already been started for restoration. In recent days, an inspection showed that badgers had suddenly started digging much more actively, with direct consequences for the safety of the track. In Friesland near Molkwerum, train traffic is also not possible because of badgers. ProRail is working on a permit to get the badgers off the track and into a newly constructed artificial castle.
trip planner
The coming period will be dominated by urgent consultations with competent authorities and experts. It is therefore not yet clear when the recovery will be able to take place and when trains can run again between Den Bosch and Boxtel. They advise to consult a travel planner before departure.
