Mayor Nadine Stemerdink Unveils Permanent Artwork Commemorating Train Accident
At a private gathering with local residents and other stakeholders, Mayor Nadine Stemerdink today unveiled a permanent artwork on Geestwoningpad commemorating the train accident of April 4, 2023.
On Tuesday, April 4, 2023, around 3:30 a.m., a train accident occurred near Voorschoten Station. A construction crane, a freight train, and a passenger train were involved. The BAM construction crane operator was killed. There were approximately 50 passengers on the passenger train, 30 of whom were injured.
Commemoration
“On a day like today, our thoughts are with crane operator Martin and his loved ones. It’s a loss that’s impossible to comprehend,” says Mayor Stemerdink. “But let’s also remember the many first responders who rushed to Voorschoten in the middle of the night. To the residents on one side of the tracks, who opened their doors to take in those with minor injuries. To farmer Freek in the barn on the other side of the tracks. To all those people who took care of the passengers.”
Artwork
The artwork unveiled by the mayor is a lectern made of rust-colored Corten steel featuring a black-and-white photograph of the train cars involved in the accident, as seen from the air. A QR code links to the information page www.voorschoten.nl/treinongeval. The artwork is located near the three birch trees on Geestwoningpad, where local residents and first responders placed an upside-down picnic table as a walkway on the night of the accident.
Attendees
The unveiling was attended by, among others, King’s Commissioner Jaap Smit, local residents, representatives from ProRail, NS, BAM, the police, and the Hollands Midden Safety Region, as well as the mayor and aldermen.
