London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Apr 20, 2025

Dutch rail crash: One dead after passenger train hits crane and derails

Dutch rail crash: One dead after passenger train hits crane and derails

One person was killed and 19 passengers taken to hospital when an inter-city train collided with a crane and derailed outside The Hague.

Emergency services said the train was carrying about 50 people when the train derailed near the village of Voorschoten.

The accident was the worst on Dutch railways for years and King Willem-Alexander later visited the scene.

Residents looked after some of the passengers with minor injuries.

The crash happened at about 03:25 local time (01:25 GMT) on Tuesday, tearing apart the NS passenger train and bringing down one of the overhead power lines.

A goods train also collided with the crane, which was being used for repairs to two of four railway tracks near Voorschoten.

The person who died had been working for construction company BAM, a spokesperson confirmed. Some of the 19 passengers were in a serious condition. The passenger train driver was also hurt, but the goods train driver was safe.

One of the passenger carriages careered down the grassy slope, while another remained on the tracks. Most of the double-decker inter-city train's lower windows were shattered.

"We heard a bang first and then later, a much more intense one," one local resident told the AFP news agency. "Then we heard people screaming. It was not good."

"The crane was there to be used for maintenance," said John Voppen, head of the government network body ProRail. He said he was 100% sure the crane was not on the tracks being used by the trains, but was unable to say how the two trains collided with it.

"I have been working in the rail industry for years and I don't understand how this could have happened."

A cordon has been set up around the site of the crash


Leiden Central station, which lies between The Hague and Amsterdam, has been closed. Trains are unlikely to be running in the area for days because of damage to the track, described as "enormous".

"This is an incredibly tragic accident," said Voorschoten Mayor Nadine Stemerdink. "We regret there was also a fatality. My thoughts go out to all the family and friends of those involved."

Police have launched an inquiry, as has the Dutch Safety Board, which will focus on how two trains could have collided with a crane that was supposed to be on one of two tracks taken out of service for maintenance.

King Willem-Alexander visited the site after thanking residents who had opened their doors to treat passengers who did not need hospital treatment.

"Our thoughts are with the victims of the train accident at Voorschoten and their families," a statement from the Royal House reads. "Many are now in fear and uncertainty. We deeply sympathise with all of them."

Prime Minister Mark Rutte also expressed his condolences.

This sort of incident is extremely rare in the Netherlands, where the rail systems are generally very safe.


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
This is Vienna, Austria in 2025.
Boeing Jet Returns to US from China Amid Tariff War
Canadian Federal Election: Candidates' Positions on US-Canada Relations and Donald Trump
Resentencing Hearing for Menendez Brothers Who Killed Their Parents Delayed Amid Legal Disputes
Australian Woman Gives Birth To Stranger's Baby In IVF Mix-up
US Sets Deadline for Russia-Ukraine Peace Deal Brokerage
Italy Introduces 'Sex Rooms' in Prisons for Inmates
California Launches Legal Challenge Against Trump Administration's Tariffs
"Groundless": China Dismisses Zelensky's Claims It's Supplying Arms To Russia
UK Psytrance Festival Cancelled Amid Local Protests Over Noise Concerns
French Far-Right Writer Renaud Camus Denied Entry to UK
UK Police Force Updates Search Policy for Trans Individuals in Custody
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni Meets with Donald Trump to Discuss EU-US Trade Tensions
Canada's Federal Party Leaders Engage in Final Debate Ahead of General Election
Ukraine and US Sign Outline of Minerals Deal
Fast Food Chain Refuses to Apologize for Online Comment About Katy Perry's Space Voyage
New York Attorney General Letitia James Faces Criminal Referral for Alleged Mortgage Fraud
Mark Cuban admits support for Trump executive order: ‘Gotta be honest’
US Senator Meets with Deported Immigrant in El Salvador Amid Custody Dispute
U.S. State Department Raises El Salvador’s Safety Ranking, Making It Safer Than France and Other European Nations
UK Government Assumes Control of British Steel's Scunthorpe Plant Amid Shutdown Threat
UK MP Wera Hobhouse Denied Entry to Hong Kong During Family Visit
Bangladesh Issues Arrest Warrant for UK MP Tulip Siddiq
China Urges United States to Cancel Tariffs Amid Escalating Trade Tensions
The Empire’s USD Pyramid Scheme Is Working Brilliantly—So Why ‘Fix’ It?
China Raises Tariffs on U.S. Goods to 125% Amid Escalating Trade Dispute
Elon Musk Reports $150 Billion in Projected Government Savings Amid Fraud Investigations
U.S. and Panama Finalize Defense Agreements Amid Canal Access and Chinese Influence Concerns
China Stands Firm Amidst Trade Disputes with the US: A Factual Analysis
U.S. Tariff Escalation Sparks Global Trade Tensions
Helicopter crashes in NYC with four people on board.
Australia Dismisses China's Suggestion to Collaborate Against US Tariffs
EU Postpones Response to US Tariffs
The Trump Administration is contemplating removing Chinese companies from U.S. stock exchanges.
Violent Incidents and Public Safety Concerns Escalate in London and County Durham
UK MP Arrested on Suspicion of Rape and Child Sex Offences
UK Gears Up to Respond to US Tariffs with Industrial Strategies and Trade Initiatives
‘Rocky’ star Dolph Lundgren and his wife Emma Krokdal bask in the Miami sunshine following the actor’s lengthy health struggles.
Spain Encounters Countrywide Protests as Housing Crisis Intensifies
Alisha Lehmann's Modeling Campaign and Public Controversy Stir Debate Ahead of UEFA Women's Euro
U.S. Firms with Major International Revenue Exposure in Light of New Tariffs
President Trump Calls on the Federal Reserve to Reduce Interest Rates in Light of New Tariffs
President Trump Prolongs TikTok Sale Deadline by 75 Days
Global Markets Dive Amid Rising U.S.-China Trade Conflicts
British comedian Russell Brand faces charges of rape and several sexual assaults.
Kanye West Reveals in a New Song That His Wife Bianca Censori Has Departed from Him
Actor Jean-Claude Van Damme Accused of Having Sex with Human Trafficking Victims
Tom Cruise Pays Tribute to Val Kilmer at CinemaCon
Europe Pursues Digital Autonomy Amidst Transatlantic Strains
OpenAI Lands Unprecedented $40 Billion Funding.
×