Two million Euros fine imposed on Dutch NS by Traffic minister

Mar 10, 2011 at 01:31 AM

By Amspk

The fine was imposed due to too many delays and dissatisfaction among travellers about a general lack of accurate information during disruptions and a lack of seating during rush hour. ''Travellers must be able to count on a reliable train service. That is the agreement I have with the NS and I will hold it to that agreement."

The conditional fine will be reduced if NS improves its performance in 2011. She said the conditional fine was intended as an incentive to improve performance. The 1.8-million-euro fine imposed for 2009 has been reduced to a definitive amount of 500,000 euros because NS improved its performance. The definitive amount of the fine for 2010 will be decided early next year. Minister Schultz van Haegen says she wants to change the current system of conditional fines to one in which fines must be paid immediately.

Under the terms of the performance between NS and the government, at least 93 percent of all trains must run on time. An NS spokesperson said the rail company found in January that only 92.5 percent of all trains had experienced no delays. The main cause of NS' failure to meet performance standards was the unusually cold winter season. And a fire at a traffic control center in Utrecht on 19 November caused extensive disruptions to rail traffic.

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Public safety, anyone?

This happens every year after major concerts take place at Museumplein
in Amsterdam. The grass has to be renewed.

Without getting into who pays for all of this, we have
noticed that every time the heavy machinery is working at Museumplein, no basic
measures of public safety are exercised.

The operators of the machinery are driving between families,
kids and pets and it all looks like the scenarios calling for accidents.

The basic measurement of separation between the public and machinery
is not exercised.

We are calling the city hall and police to intervene before
someone gets hurt.

special royal boat parade on Q-Day 2013

By: City of Amsterdam PR Office

On 30 April 2013, Amsterdam will host a special royal boat parade on the River IJ to celebrate the inauguration of the new king and queen. The royal couple will set sail from the EYE Film Institute Netherlands and travel past the Oeverpark, via the northern side of the River IJ to the Kop van Java and Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ. Well-wishers will be able to greet the royal couple from the quayside. A unique programme of festivities featuring art, culture and sport will take place at various locations along the parade route, providing entertainment for the whole family.

The programme will commence at 10:00 on 30 April with the abdication of Queen Beatrix at the Royal Palace on Dam Square, after which the royal couple will join the departing queen to make an appearance on the palace balcony. The inauguration will take place at 14:00 in De Nieuwe Kerk. This will be followed by a private reception at the Royal Palace, and then the new king and queen will depart for the EYE Film Institute Netherlands. The royal parade is planned to set sail at approximately 19:30.

Museumplein will be transformed into the Oranjeplein (‘Orange Square')

One for the Main event places on Queen's day 2013 is Museumplein. On 30 April, Amsterdam's Museumplein is set to be transformed into the Oranjeplein (‘Orange Square'). During the day, the free Orange Festival caters to families with performances by famous Dutch artists before the King's Dance takes over in the evening. 3,000 seats are being made available to offer additional comfort to visitors during the evening program. These tickets cost 10 euros with the proceeds of the tickets being donated to Jeugdcultuurfonds Amsterdam (the Amsterdam Youth Culture Fund).

Amsterdam Student Festival

The Amsterdam Student Festival is a festival on the 25th and 26th of April where talented students get a chance to perform in front of a live audience. There will be a music stage, where loads of bands and DJs will perform, and a theatre stage, where the performances will be ranging from theatre and singer-songwriters to comedians. There will also be an art exposition. The students will be evaluated by a jury and can win prices, like bigger performances, studio time and professional workshops, to give their potential cultural career a serious boost!

Flashmob by ING for the reopening of Rijksmuseum

The slogan 'Our Heroes are Back' is used to announce that, after an absence of one decade, all major pieces in the Rijksmuseum's collection are back where they belong. This is what happens when they suddenly emerge in an unsuspecting shopping mall somewhere in The Netherlands. With the support of main sponsor ING, entrance to the museum is free on the 13th of April from 12:00 to 00:00.

"This Flashmob recreates Rembrandt's Night Watch. It's considered one of the most famous paintings in the world."