Train Accident

Tuesday morning, 3:25 a.m. Residents living near the Voorschoten station are awakened by a loud crash. Two minutes later, an even louder second crash follows. The cause is a train accident involving a construction crane, a freight train, and a passenger train. It isn’t until later that day that it becomes clear exactly what happened.

_{Press conference at City Hall. From left to right: Wouter Koolmees (NS Director), John Voppen (ProRail CEO), Nadine Stemerdink (Mayor of Voorschoten), Hans Zuidijk (Director of the Hollands Midden Safety Region), and Marieke van den Bosch (Leiden Bollenstreek Police). Photo: Freek van den Bergh.}

The first collision occurs when a freight train heading toward The Hague strikes a crane mounted on a trailer (krol) that is crossing the tracks. This happens just past Voorschoten Station, near the Geestwoningpad. The construction crane and debris end up on the tracks. The second collision follows when an Intercity train traveling from Leiden Centraal toward Rotterdam strikes the debris and derails. A fire breaks out on the train, and two of the four train cars end up in a field.

Bad dream?

The gravity of the situation slowly sinks in. After the first blast, nearby residents wake up and look at one another. One suspects a train has derailed; another thinks a freight train has lost some of its cargo. But with the second crash, the houses shake to their foundations. Emergency dispatch nurse Wendy is just about to ask the very first 112 caller if they might have been having a bad dream when she hears that same crash over the phone and realizes she needs to scale up the response immediately.

50 passengers, 30 injured

There are about 50 passengers on the passenger train. Some of them manage to find their way out on their own. After ProRail cuts the power to the overhead lines, the rest of the passengers are also evacuated from the train. Thirty of them are injured; 19 need to be taken to the hospital, including the NS train operator. Emergency responders and local residents are taking care of the remaining passengers. The De Boschbloem community center opens its doors to offer a cup of coffee and a listening ear.

Construction Crane Operator Martin

What’s in that freight train? That’s one of the first questions emergency responders ask in an accident like this. Hazardous materials are not permitted to be transported on the tracks near Voorschoten. Indeed, it’s just harmless quicklime. In any case, the train accident has left a deep impression on everyone involved. Our thoughts are with Martin, the 65-year-old construction crane operator from Limburg who lost his life, his loved ones, and those who were injured.

Previous accident in 1926

This is not the first time Voorschoten has been the site of a train accident. On September 9, 1926, an express train traveling from Rotterdam to Amsterdam derailed near De Vink Station. The steam locomotive, along with its tender and mail car, overturned; the baggage car came to rest across the tracks; the first passenger car ended up in the ditch; and the second was severely damaged. Four people were killed. Ten people were seriously injured.

The numerous calls—from both local residents and passengers dialing the emergency number—quickly made it clear that this was a major accident. Around 3:37 a.m., the first emergency responders arrived, and the response was scaled up very quickly.

_{Emergency responders in the dark. Photo: ANP / Michel van Bergen.}

The rescue operation was not easy. “It was dark, the overhead power lines were down, cries for help could be heard, a fire was visible, and we had to cross a ditch to reach the train,” says Hans Zuidijk, director of the Hollands Midden Safety Region, summarizing the scenario.

More than 200 first responders

The Voorschoten Fire Department was the first to arrive on the scene, followed by a police car from Leiden-Zuid and an initial backup unit from the safety region. Ultimately, more than 200 emergency responders from the police, fire department, and ambulance services in various regions rushed to Voorschoten, all the way from Leerdam at the farthest tip of the Zuid-Holland Zuid region.

A Flawless Approach

Despite the chaos, the initial emergency response goes smoothly. An upside-down picnic table is used to bridge the ditch. Within two hours, the seriously injured have been transported to five hospitals, and the remaining passengers continue their journey from The Hague Central Station after being transported by an NS bus. Meanwhile, Victim Support Netherlands launches a website offering information and advice.

Farmer Freek and the Family Doctor

The hospitable local residents are putting Voorschoten in a positive light in the news. Farmer Freek takes in stranded travelers in his barn. With chairs brought in and a cup of tea, they recover from the shock. The family doctor—who, as it turns out, is a geriatric specialist—helps the injured by applying stitches and fitting them with a sling. Still others make coffee or lend out their phone chargers.

Help from Italy

Support is even coming from Italy. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure and Transportation Matteo Salvini has expressed his deep solidarity with those affected, with all Dutch residents, and with the Dutch government. “L’Italia è pronta a fornire supporto,” the Italian news agency ANSA quotes the minister as saying.

Honorary Award for Peter Heerschop

The news hasn’t gone unnoticed by comedian, actor, and columnist Peter Heerschop either. On NPO Radio 1, he even presented an award: “The award in the Order of the Open Door and ‘Come On In’ goes to the municipality of Voorschoten.”

Around 12:00 p.m., King Willem-Alexander arrives on Brunita J. Gemmekelaan, where residents with a view of the railroad tracks provided assistance that night and opened their homes to others. State Secretary for Infrastructure and Water Management Vivianne Heijnen joins him, accompanied by a camera crew from the NOS.

_{The king and the mayor are inspecting the railroad tracks. Photo: ANP / Robin van Lonkhuijsen.}

After a brief briefing at the command post, a walk past the train cars is planned. The king is impressed by what he hears about the emergency response. “I am incredibly happy to see how quickly the emergency responders arrived on the scene and what a fantastic job they did.”

Speechless

The king is speechless at the forces that have been unleashed. “Just look at the weight. The sheer mass and speed. It’s simple physics. But when you see it lying there, it really leaves you speechless.”

On Wednesday, April 12, the passenger train will begin to be removed. Once the train cars have been removed, the damage can be repaired. Until then, buses will run between The Hague Laan van NOI and Leiden Central. On April 20, passengers will be able to ride the train again.

_{An SPMT is crossing Papelaan-West. Photo: ANP / Josh Walet.}

Once the freight train and the construction crane have been towed away from the tracks, a massive task lies ahead: recovering the passenger train. The streets of Voorschoten and the viaduct are simply not designed to handle the heavy transport required. The municipality is therefore grateful to the Van Vliet family for allowing the recovery to take place safely from the pasture.

Worked day and night

But there are still challenges ahead. For example, a temporary road must be built across the marshy pasture, the ditch must be filled in, culverts are needed to protect the water main, and loading areas must be constructed where cranes can lift the train cars onto flatbed trailers. Work continues day and night, even during the Easter holidays.

SPMT

First, a heavy-duty Mammoet crane carefully places the two train cars, which are lying on their sides, in the field. To prevent oil and glass shards from spilling onto the ground, the train cars are sealed. That same night, they are loaded onto a Self-Propelled Modular Transporter (SPMT) and transported to Nippon Express.

Two trains on the tracks, two on the road

At the Nippon Express facility, the train sets are tilted so they can fit under overpasses. On Thursday evening, they will be transported on flatbed trailers to an NS maintenance facility. The third train set will be lifted and fitted with a new bogie. It will then be hauled away by rail, coupled with the fourth train set and pulled by a diesel locomotive.

A Night We'll Never Forget

The damage is extensive, including in the area around the station. At the Van Vliet farm, part of the topsoil will need to be replaced. And the municipality will have to, for example, replant shrubs and restore traffic infrastructure. There’s no sign of the damage now, but April 4, 2023, will remain a night that travelers, residents, and emergency responders will never forget.