The train traffic between Utrecht Central and Woerden is disrupted on Monday morning due to a signal failure. The failure was caused by a lightning strike and is expected to last until 12:15 PM. The strike also caused a house to catch fire.
The lightning struck near Vleuten, a village west of Utrecht. Due to the strike, signals, which should indicate whether a train should stop or slow down, are not functioning properly. NS has deployed replacement buses to accommodate passengers.
The lightning strike also led to a fire on Philipsdaaderhof in Utrecht. Around 1:30 AM, a house caught fire, after which the fire spread to an adjacent house.
Four houses were damaged during the extinguishing work. Two of the houses are temporarily uninhabitable. The residents have found temporary shelter themselves, writes the safety region. No injuries have been reported.