One killed and 30 passengers injured in commuter train accident in Holland

One person was killed and at least 30 were injured in a train accident near Voorschoten between The Hague and Amsterdam in the Netherlands on Tuesday morning.

The accident occurred early on Tuesday morning and according to the Dutch railway company, there were about 50 people on board the train. According to the Dutch newspaper Allgemeen Dagblad, the train may have collided with equipment on the track and then derailed. A fire broke out in the rear carriage.

The company responsible for maintaining the track has stated that several investigations have now been initiated. "This is a very unique, but terrible accident," said Jeroen Wienen of Prorail to Reuters. The company will now investigate how the accident could have occurred and what needs to be done to prevent accidents in the future.

Ambulances from all over the country were called to the scene. One person is reported to have died and at least 30 were injured, according to the country's emergency services. According to a spokesperson from the fire brigade, 19 people were taken to hospital, while others were treated on the scene.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has expressed his support for the victims and their families in a tweet: "A terrible train accident near Voorschoten, where one person unfortunately died and several were injured. My thoughts go out to the families and all the victims."

The BBC writes that the train collided with a crane on the tracks. A goods train also allegedly  collided with the crane, which had  being used for repairs to two of four railway tracks near Voorschoten.

The person who died had allegedly been working for the construction company BAM, according to a  spokesperson. Some of the 19 passengers sustained serious injuries. The passenger train driver was also injured, but the goods train driver did not sustain any injuries.

The crash occurred  at 03:25 local time (01:25 GMT) on Tuesday, and tore apart the passenger train as well as bringing down one of the overhead power lines.

Investigations started

According to Wikipedia, The Dutch Safety Board has opened an investigation into the accident. 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 has opened a criminal investigation into the accident.

Another accident in a long row of train derailments in 2023 

This train accident comes just as train safety has been very much a controversial topic in both Europe and the US.

Earlier in March, two trains collided in Greece, killing at least 57 people, leading to violent demonstrations about train safety in several Greek cities.

In early February, a freight train derailed near East Palestine, Ohio. The train was carrying several tanker cars with hazardous materials, and a controlled release of vinyl chloride was carried out. This, and the burning of several other toxic chemicals has made resident worried about their health and a nationwide discussion on the handling of the incident, and the transportation of hazardous materials in general, has been a hot topic in the US during the spring of 2023.

Several other derailments in the US and Canada have been occurring since, further spurring on the controversy about railway and transportation safety. 

Photo Credit: (Cover photo above) A photo of the type of commuter train (NS VIRM 9405 ) that was involved in the accident on April 4, 2023.

Wikipedia Commons License. Photo by Jan Derk Remmers - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=75261466