Two escalators at the underground Spui tram stop have been under repair in both directions since 1 October, and the lift up to the Grote Marktstraat is out of service as well.
That leaves one lift and three escalators out of action at one of the city’s busiest transport hubs, with less mobile travellers hit hardest.
Madelon Kranenburg, 63, has commuted by public transport to her job in the city centre for ten years and says she keeps running into the same broken escalator at Spui.
She used to climb the stationary steps but says that is now far too heavy, and the next stop with a working lift is too far for her to walk.
HTM says the cause differs with each breakdown, from vandalism to large parts that are hard to replace, and that the equipment at Spui is heavily used.
The operator could not say how often the installations fail or why there is no lasting fix, and said it passes reports to the maintenance contractor.
The stop had similar trouble with its lift and escalators in December 2025 and again in February 2026, when HTM said parts such as handrail belts have to be custom made.
