Authorities in the Netherlands reported Monday that an investigation has been opened into the role played by the country’s railway system in the deportation of thousands of Jews during the German occupation in World War II.
The inquiry, which is being conducted by Dutch Railways, seeks to clarify the extent to which the system supported Nazi Germany’s extermination of Jews during the war.
The Center for Genocide and Holocaust Studies is expected to present its findings in about three and a half years, the agency said in a statement.
The railway company, for its part, has stressed that the aim of the research is also to deepen the «historical understanding» of the Netherlands’ «own actions» during the war years.
The country used special trains during the German occupation to deport large numbers of people to concentration and extermination camps. Dutch Railways has referred to this period of time as a «black chapter» in the company’s history and apologized in 2005 for what happened.
More than 5,000 deportees and their families received compensation from the company in 2021, a compensation totaling some 43 million euros.
