London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Jul 26, 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
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
×