Red lights out: Amsterdam power outage causes commuter chaos
A mass power blackout hit large parts of Amsterdam, causing chaos for morning commuters as transport services ground to a halt and traffic bottlenecked around the city.
The power outage turned the lights out over the Dutch capital and surrounding areas in the early hours of the morning with a knock-on effect for trains, trams and metro services.
A large blackout has hit parts of the Dutch capital of Amsterdam and nearby cities, leaving at least 364,000 customers without power
— BNO News (@BNONews) January 17, 2017
Locals were quick to share images online of the unlit city, showing Amsterdam draped in darkness.
#amsterdam west om 07.30u: serene rust #stroomstoringpic.twitter.com/0G6G1GH6QA
— Linda Oldemans (@LindaOldemans) January 17, 2017
Currently no train service to Schiphol/Amsterdam/Utrecht due to a major power outage. See https://t.co/qY20evygEj for more info. @NS_online
— Schiphol (@Schiphol) January 17, 2017
#stroomstoring See the total blackout in Amsterdam right now: https://t.co/j7XdA1VaYwpic.twitter.com/w1WrWNbGIy
— TAC Buzz (@TACbuzz) January 17, 2017
So there is a massive power outage in Amsterdam and half of Holland... looks like a zombie apocalypse or WOIII... #amsterdam
— ZeroAnnoyance (@ZeroAnnoyance) January 17, 2017
Vreemd! Tot aan de kruising alles uit, en dan mijn stukje wel electriciteit. Alhoewel mijn koelkast wel begint te smelten #stroomstoringpic.twitter.com/glLlPa6OKY
— Timothy Klaverweide (@TimKlaverweide) January 17, 2017
#Amsterdam had a big power cut last night. 100.000's without electricity. Expect some extra babies in 9 mnths @lopcute#Stroomstoring020pic.twitter.com/DtabADbBo4
— Seimen Burum (@SeimenBurum) January 17, 2017
The blackout began at 4:15 am, BNO News reports. A number of websites with servers in Amsterdam were affected by the outage, which forced the sites offline.
Power and high-speed data down in amsterdam. Totally dark. Eerie.
— Thomas Ricker (@Trixxy) January 17, 2017
The fault originated at the Hemweg power plant in Amsterdam, utility company Liander said. The cause of the outage was not immediately known.
Die #stroomstoring zorgt wel voor fijne plaatjes van een aardedonker Rijksmuseum. En een serene rust #Amsterdampic.twitter.com/cS0aXIl4PD
— Bonne Kerstens (@bonnekerstens) January 17, 2017
🚨NEWS: "#Amsterdam blackout leaves 364,000 without power" ...well, I still see a million people on fire here 🔥 💯🎉👊🏻https://t.co/HeiXqDtnAApic.twitter.com/SV3511P6nc
— Marius Vieth 🔥💯 (@mariusvieth) January 17, 2017
People used candles and the lights from their vehicles to see in the dark. Those with gas power were happy to still be able to make tea.
No electricity in the capital of Holland due to blackout, so good to have gas for tea & coffee. #BREAKING#Amsterdam#stroomstoringpic.twitter.com/rL1dVHNNaX
— Siem Vaessen (@siemvaessen) January 17, 2017
Forget #BlueMonday...it's #BlackTuesday in #Amsterdam! Power outage across the entire city #stroomstoring#poweroutagepic.twitter.com/RmDVkwU1ah
— Esme Montgomery (@EsmeMontgomery) January 17, 2017
Mobile phone networks experienced a surge in calls as the power outage hit.
Total #blackout in #Amsterdam this morning. Good thing to know the parking meter is hooked up to emergency power. #stroomstoringpic.twitter.com/NEhTK7O8Lt
— Nico van den Brink (@Nico3000ME) January 17, 2017
Power Outage in #Amsterdam#stroomstoringpic.twitter.com/NxPuApcZXh
— Best Holland Tours (@besttours020) January 17, 2017
All of Amsterdam’s power was brought back by 8:20 am, with all power restored by 9 am.
@BNONewspic.twitter.com/T5L1umI5PP
— Bobstar (@BobbyMageroski) January 17, 2017
Dear visitors there was No #zombie attack in Amsterdam. We just didn't have power in whole city. We call off #daryldixon. And we open 🤘
— A'dam_liquor_store (@adamliquors) January 17, 2017
Slept through the whole power outage in #Amsterdam but glad they fixed it or I would've been found frozen solid to my waterbed #blackout
— Wendy 🖖🏼 (@wendelasmit) January 17, 2017
Power is back ⚡️#Amsterdam #Blackout#stroomstoringpic.twitter.com/D6zP3lUJhS
— LegaLCompleX (@legalcomplex) January 17, 2017
Stroomstoring Amsterdam, Zaandam, Landsmeer opgelost. Excuses voor het ongemak.
— Liander (@LianderNL) January 17, 2017