2023 Voorschoten train crash

Last updated

2023 Voorschoten train crash
Voorschoten train crash VIRM 9405 (2) (cropped).jpg
The wrecked NS VIRM 9405, photographed the day after the accident.
Zenderen DBC 189 025 kalk-staal (52014805666).jpg
A freight train hauled by a DBAG Class 189 locomotive. The formation of the train is similar to that of the train involved in the accident.
P08-ZH-positiekaart2-gemlabels.png
Red pog.svg
Voorschoten, South Holland
Details
Date4 April 2023 (2023-04-04)
03:25 CEST (01:25 UTC)
Location Voorschoten
Coordinates 52°07′22″N4°25′45″E / 52.1228°N 4.4291°E / 52.1228; 4.4291
CountryNetherlands
Line Amsterdam–Haarlem–Rotterdam railway
Operator Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS) (passenger)
DB Cargo (freight)
Incident typeTwo collisions; derailment of one train
CauseLine obstructed
Statistics
Trains2
Passengers50
Crew4
Deaths1
Injured30

On 4 April 2023, a freight train and a passenger train collided with construction equipment obstructing the line at Voorschoten, South Holland, Netherlands. The passenger train was derailed. The operator of the crane was killed and 30 people were injured, 19 of whom were hospitalized.

Contents

Crash

At 03:25 CEST (01:25 UTC), [1] a freight train, operated by DB Cargo and hauled by DBAG Class 189 locomotive number 189 054, [2] collided with a road–rail crane that was obstructing the line at Voorschoten, South Holland, Netherlands, [3] which connects Leiden Centraal with Den Haag Centraal and Den Haag Hollands Spoor, all located on the Amsterdam–Haarlem–Rotterdam railway. [4] The locomotive hauling the freight train was severely damaged, [3] but was not derailed. [5] The crane landed in the path of, and was then run into by, a passenger train, [4] operated by NS VIRM unit 9405. [1] There was between one and five minutes between the two collisions. The passenger train was travelling at 137 kilometres per hour (85 mph) when it collided with the crane. [6] All four vehicles of the passenger train were derailed. [7] Two of the four tracks through Voorschoten had been closed for investigation and engineering work to take place. [8]

A small fire broke out in the rearmost carriage of the passenger train, but it was quickly extinguished. [1] The passenger train was travelling from Leiden to Den Haag, South Holland. [7] A "Code 50" alert was issued, as more than 50 people were presumably injured. A GRIP 3 situation was also declared, indicating an incident that threatens the well-being of a large number of people in a single municipality. [9] The driver of the freight train was reported to have survived uninjured. [8] The driver of the passenger train survived with several broken bones. [10] Two conductors on the passenger train were injured. [4]

On 5 April 2023, ProRail CEO John Voppen stated that the freight train was likely to have been on the correct track. [5] On 7 April, it was reported that the crane had arrived at the site ahead of schedule. Permission was requested at 03:23 for traffic to be stopped to allow the crane to be placed on track. The crane operator was told to wait for 10 minutes before this would be possible. By 03:29, power had been lost to the overhead catenary at Voorschoten. [11]

Victims

The operator of the crane was killed — an employee of Royal BAM Group, the company who owned the crane. [4] [12] An additional 30 people were injured, 15 of whom were "serious". [9] [13] Emergency services attended the scene. Nineteen of the wounded were taken to hospital. [7] Ten of them had been discharged by midday. [14] Three people were sent to intensive care — two at Leiden University Medical Center and one at HMC Westeinde  [ nl ]. [15] Five people were still hospitalized on 7 April, with one in intensive care. [16]

Aftermath

The line was initially expected to remain closed until at least 16:00 on 4 April 2023. [17] It was later announced that the line would not reopen that day. Leiden Centraal station was closed on 4 April 2023 due to overcrowding as a result of the crash. [18] Buses replaced trains between Den Haag Centraal, Den Haag Laan van NOI, Den Haag Mariahoeve, Voorschoten, De Vink, Leiden Centraal, Sassenheim, Nieuw-Vennep and Hoofddorp. [10]

The freight train had been removed from Voorschoten by 6 April. The four carriages of the VIRM were removed on 11 April. The rear two carriages left for Amersfoort by rail, and the front two carriages were to be taken by road. [19] [20] The line was reopened on 20 April 2023. [21]

Investigations

The rear carriage of the passenger train and the destroyed road-rail crane operated by Royal BAM Group AccidentTrainVoorschoten2023-6 (cropped).jpg
The rear carriage of the passenger train and the destroyed road-rail crane operated by Royal BAM Group

The Dutch Safety Board (OVV) opened an investigation into the crash. [1] Their investigation will focus on whether the crane was being used on the correct track, and whether the freight and passenger trains were on lines that should have been closed or not. The Dutch Police opened a criminal investigation into the crash. [4] The Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate is coordinating investigations with the OVV, police, Labour Inspectorate, ProRail, DB Cargo, NS, and Royal BAM Group. [5]

The OVV released their conclusions of the investigation into the crash on 15 May 2024. [22] The OVV said that the Dutch government focused too much on keeping lines open above the safety of maintenance crews. Although no definitive cause was established, it was noted that at Voorschoten maintenance workers had to cross railway lines open to traffic to reach their worksite. [23]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HTM Personenvervoer</span> Public transportation company in the Netherlands

HTM Personenvervoer NV is a public transport company in the Netherlands operating trams, lightrail and buses in The Hague, Rijswijk, Leidschendam, Voorburg, Delft, Zoetermeer, Wateringen, Pijnacker and Nootdorp, the so-called Conurbation Haaglanden. The lightrail connection to Zoetermeer is operated in cooperation with RET, the Rotterdam-public transport company, which operates the connection between The Hague Central Station and Slinge in the south of Rotterdam, thus giving a fast and easy connection between the two city-centres. Regional transports are serviced by Connexxion, Arriva and RET.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Railway stations in the Netherlands</span>

There are currently 401 railway stations in the Netherlands including four which are used only during special events and one which serves the National Railway Museum only. NS Stations is the body which manages and owns all railway stations in the Netherlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rail transport in the Netherlands</span>

Rail transport in the Netherlands uses a dense railway network which connects nearly all major towns and cities. There are as many train stations as there are municipalities in the Netherlands. The network totals 3,223 route km (2,003 mi) on 6,830 kilometres (4,240 mi) of track; a line may run both ways, or two lines may run on major routes. Three-quarters of the lines have been electrified.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EuroSprinter</span> Family of electric locomotives

The EuroSprinter family of electric locomotives is a modular concept of locomotives for the European market built by Siemens Mobility. The internal Siemens product name is ES 64, with ES for EuroSprinter and the number 64 indicating the 6,400 kW power at rail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Voorschoten railway station</span> Railway station in Voorschoten, South Holland, Netherlands

Voorschoten is a railway station in Voorschoten, South Holland, Netherlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rotterdam Centraal station</span> Railway station in Rotterdam, Netherlands

Rotterdam Centraal station is the main railway station of the city Rotterdam in South Holland, Netherlands. The station received an average of 112,000 passengers daily in 2019. The current station building, located at Station Square, was officially opened in March 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leidschendam-Voorburg RandstadRail station</span>

Leidschendam-Voorburg is the RandstadRail station in of Leidschendam-Voorburg, the Netherlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Centrum-West RandstadRail station</span> Railway station in the Netherlands

Centrum-West is a RandstadRail station in Zoetermeer, the Netherlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NS VIRM</span> Electric multiple unit

VIRM trains, full name Verlengd InterRegio Materieel, are a series of electric multiple unit (EMU) double-deck trains operated by Nederlandse Spoorwegen or NS, the principal railway operator in the Netherlands. NS has 178 of these double-deckers – 98 four-carriage sets, and 80 six-carriage sets. The trains were built between 1994 and 2009 – for the most part by Talbot, part of Bombardier Inc., with some railcars built by De Dietrich.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sprinter Lighttrain</span> Dutch electric multiple unit

The Sprinter Lighttrain or SLT is an Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) train type operated by the Nederlandse Spoorwegen in the Netherlands. They were built from 2007 to 2012 by Bombardier (2400) and Siemens (2600). It is the successor of the Sprinter SGM train type.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amsterdam–Schiphol railway</span> Railway line in the Netherlands

The Amsterdam–Schiphol railway is an important 17 kilometre long railway line in the Netherlands that connects Amsterdam with Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, and allows trains to continue to Leiden, The Hague, and Rotterdam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amsterdam Westerpark train collision</span> 2012 train crash in the Netherlands

On 21 April 2012 at 18:30 local time, two trains were involved in a head-on collision at Westerpark, near Sloterdijk, in the west of Amsterdam, Netherlands. Approximately 117 people were injured, one of whom later died in hospital. The collision is thought to have been caused by the driver of one of the trains passing a red signal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dalfsen train crash</span> 2016 level crossing collision in the Netherlands

The Dalfsen train crash occurred on 23 February 2016 when a passenger train collided with a tracked elevated work platform on a level crossing at Dalfsen, Overijssel, Netherlands. One person was killed and six were injured, one seriously.

Maaike Hendrickje Petra van Klink is a Dutch footballer who plays as a goalkeeper. She previously played for ADO Den Haag in the Netherlands and for the FIU Panthers in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1926 Voorschoten train crash</span> Rail accident in South Holland, Netherlands

On 9 September 1926, a passenger train was derailed near Voorschoten, Netherlands due to defective track. Four people were killed and 30 were injured.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Een dode en meerdere zwaargewonden bij treinongeluk Voorschoten" [One dead and several seriously injured in Voorschoten train accident] (in Dutch). De Telegraaf. Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  2. ↑ "Zwaar beschadigde goederenlocomotief treinongeluk Voorschoten weggesleept" [Severely damaged freight locomotive from train accident Voorschoten towed away] (in Dutch). MP Produktie. 6 April 2023.
  3. 1 2 "Goederentrein botste eerst op kraan, NS-trein botste daarna op kraan of brokstukken" [Freight train first collided with crane, NS train then collided with crane or debris]. nos.nl (in Dutch). 4 April 2023. Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Criminal probe in train derailment crash that left maintenance worker dead". NL Times. Archived from the original on 5 April 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 "Freight train that hit crane first was likely on right track, ProRail CEO says". NL Times. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  6. ↑ Jessuran, Jules (5 April 2023). "Hoe hard reden de treinen? Vijf vragen over het ongeluk bij Voorschoten" [How fast was the train going? Five questions about the accident at Voorschoten] (in Dutch). NOS Nieuws. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  7. 1 2 3 "Train derails after crashing into construction crane in Voorschoten; One killed, 30 hurt". NL Times. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  8. 1 2 "DB Cargo: machinist goederentrein botsing Voorschoten in orde" [DB Cargo: train driver in freight train collision at Voorschoten is okay] (in Dutch). Transport Online. Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  9. 1 2 "Dode en tientallen gewonden en ontsporing bij treinongeval Voorschoten" [Dead and several wounded by train derailment at Voorschoten] (in Dutch). Regio15. Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  10. 1 2 ""A terrible accident," Dutch PM says about train derailment; Train driver among injured". NL Times. Archived from the original on 5 April 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  11. ↑ "Train derailment timeline leaked: Crane was at active railroad earlier than agreed". NL Times. 7 April 2023. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
  12. ↑ "No trains between Leiden - The Hague for at least a week after fatal crash; 9 hospitalized". NL Times. Archived from the original on 5 April 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  13. ↑ "Goederentrein botste eerst op kraan, NS-trein botste daarna op kraan of brokstukken" [Freighter train first hits crane, NS train collides with the crane or debris after]. NOS (in Dutch). 4 April 2023. Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  14. ↑ "Construction worker dies, 19 taken to hospital after train collides with crane". Dutch News. 4 April 2023. Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  15. ↑ "Drie ernstig gewonden treinongeluk nog op intensive care" [Three severely wounded in train accident still in intensive care]. NOS (in Dutch). 4 April 2023. Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  16. ↑ "Five victims of Voorschoten train crash still in hospital, one in ICU". NL Times. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  17. ↑ "Dutch rail crash: One dead after passenger train derails". BBC News. 4 April 2023. Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  18. ↑ "Video: Passenger filmed derailed train evacuation; No trains to, from Leiden CS all day". NL Times. Archived from the original on 5 April 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  19. ↑ "Half of train involved in Voorschoten crash removed today; Strong wind delayed salavage". NL Times. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  20. ↑ "Treinstellen worden uit weiland weggetakeld in Voorschoten" [Trainsets are towed away from field in Voorschoten] (in Dutch). De Telegraaf. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  21. ↑ "Busy holiday rush hour likely, but Leiden-The Hague train running again". NL Times. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  22. ↑ "Onderhoud aan intensief bereden spoornet moet en kan veiliger" [Maintenance of intensively exposed rail network must and can be safer] (in Dutch). Onderzoeksraad Voor Veiligheid. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  23. ↑ "Gov't focused more on keeping rail usable during work, not safety in Voorschoten crash". NL Times. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.