Almost all Dutch trains halted by strike around Utrecht

UTRECHT, Netherlands (AP) — Almost the entire Dutch railway network has been shut down as workers affected by soaring inflation and staff shortages strike to demand better pay and working conditions. Staff at the railway company NS stopped work for the day Tuesday in the central Netherlands region that acts as a hub for almost all train lines, halting trains across the country. An exception was the line linking Amsterdam with the busy Schiphol Airport that returned to service after a strike shut it down on Monday. Utrecht Central station, the country’s biggest rail hub and normally packed with travelers, was eerily deserted Tuesday morning.