Safety in and around the station

To keep the station safe and improve our service, we use counting sensors that count the number of passers-by and analyse local pedestrian flows. The footage recorded by counter sensors is not stored on the sensor or in any other way. Until 7 January 2021, NS also used WiFi tracking.

We also use camera surveillance in and around the station. These cameras are used to record and later view footage. This enables us to respond quickly in the event of incidents, and detect and prosecute infringements and criminal offences.

Every day, more than 1.2 million travellers use the train stations in the Netherlands. As hubs of pedestrian traffic and public transport, a station is a special location where you can transfer between trains, urban and regional public transport, bikes, cars, and can find increasingly diverse services and facilities.

The basis for data processing is: legitimate interest.

NS is continuously working to increase safety and improve the service we provide at and around the station. For this purpose, it is essential to have insight into pedestrian flows, routes, time spent by passengers and other station users and their chosen waiting areas. That is why we use counting sensors to monitor passers-by at several large stations. We make sure that the data collected by these the sensors is processed carefully and safely in such a way that we never process directly or indirectly identifiable data. Your privacy is therefore guaranteed. 

We use the resulting non-identifiable data for social purposes, such as security and crowd control at and around the station, as well as for commercial purposes, such as choosing the locations for specific services and shops at the stations.

Stations where WiFi sensors are used can be recognised by a pictogram indicating their presence. NS uses counter sensors at the stations Amsterdam Centraal, Amsterdam Zuid, Amsterdam Bijlmer Arena, Utrecht Centraal, Schiphol Airport, and 's Hertogenbosch.

Camera surveillance also takes place in and around the station and in NS shops. Important: not all shops and properties at the stations fall under the purview of NS. You can see who is responsible for camera surveillance when you enter a shop. 

In practice, camera surveillance is an important tool in the prevention, detection and prosecution of criminal offences, as well as other types of offences. Another important purpose is to support the efficient deployment of emergency services in the event of an emergency or request for assistance.

The use of camera surveillance can also be used to support dispute resolution and to recover damages to NS property. It is also a useful tool for identifying the formation of large crowds and it enables NS to take measures to ensure the safe and smooth passage through the access gates. Without camera surveillance, we would not be able to guarantee the safety of our travellers, employees and property.

Camera surveillance is openly visible and is indicated by images on stickers. NS and its travellers all benefit from camera surveillance. We have also installed cameras on the front and rear of some train models. These cameras help us to process incidents on the track, and can also be used to prevent such incidents in the future.

You can find Security staff and Safety & Service officers at all stations and on all trains. They are equipped with a bodycam for your safety and their own. Employees can start recording with their bodycam when they suspect a potentially unsafe situation is developing.

Without this footage, we would not be able to investigate incidents or to ensure the safety of our travellers and employees. We ensure that all footage is stored securely and that access to the footage is limited to authorised personnel only; the personnel equipped with bodycams cannot access the footage.

We contract third parties to provide IT services. These third parties process our data solely for our own internal use, and for no other purpose. We have made agreements with these parties pertaining to the processing of personal data.

We are authorised to provide your personal data to parties outside the European Economic Community under certain circumstances. In that event, we will take suitable measures with these parties, for example by agreeing to the standard provisions required by the European Commission.

The footage recorded by counter sensors is not stored on the sensor or in any other way.

Only authorised personnel have access to camera footage. If no incident has been recorded, the footage is retained for 28 days, after which it is deleted. In the event of an incident, all footage is retained until the incident has been handled and processed in its entirety. We may also proactively or preventively store footage of incidents, if necessary.