THE HAGUE, June 5 — Domestic and international rail services from Amsterdam slowly resumed today after a technical glitch forced hundreds to sleep in stations and an entertainment venue.

Rail authorities first announced the malfunction yesterday evening, saying it hoped to have it fixed within hours.

The problem was slowly being resolved today and affected both local and international rail connections, ProRail said.

This included the Thalys high speed service to Brussels and Paris, the Eurostar to London and the ICE service to Germany, news reports added.

"From 9am (0700 GMT/3pm Malaysian time) trains around Amsterdam will start running again,” ProRail said in a statement but added that there would "be disruptions for the rest of the morning”.

The resumption of services was a relief for many visitors, including hundreds of Harry Styles fans who attended a concert at the Johann Cruyff Arena yesterday.

Around 500 fans were stranded and had to sleep in the nearby Ziggo Dome, where they were handed a sleeping bag, food and drinks, the ANP national news agency reported.

Meanwhile other stranded passengers slept at stations around the capital, including Amsterdam Central where stationary trains were opened for passengers on the platforms, news reports said.

"We did not get anything to eat and no information or anything that was going on,” one angry passenger told the NOS public broadcaster.

"We feel left in the lurch,” she said, standing outside Amsterdam’s main station.

ProRail apologised, saying it was investigating the reason for the technical malfunction. — AFP