Netherlands train derailment

[RyanC87]

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65170980.amp

At least one person has been killed and about 30 injured - some seriously - after a passenger train derailed in the western Netherlands.
Emergency services say the overnight crash happened after the train transporting about 50 people hit a construction crane near the village of Voorschoten.
A freight train is also reported to have been damaged.
Some people were treated at the scene, but 19 have been taken to hospital.
Local residents have been caring for those passengers with minor injuries.
The crash happened at about 03:25 local time (01:25 GMT) on Tuesday, tearing apart the train and bringing one of the overhead power lines down.
One carriage 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."
Dutch construction firm BAM has told local media that one of its employees died in the collision.
Several investigations have been opened into the incident, including by ProRail - the governmental body responsible for the country's rail networks.
"The crane was there to be used for maintenance," its chief executive, John Voppen, told Reuters.
"I have been working in the rail industry for years and I don't understand how this could have happened."
The nearby Leiden Central station, which lies between The Hague and Amsterdam, has been closed.
No trains to and from the city are expected to run until at least 16:00 local time (14:00 GMT).
"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."
The country's Prime Minister, Mark Rutte, has expressed his condolences, as have the King and Queen.
"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."
This sort of incident is extremely rare in the Netherlands, where the rail systems are generally very safe.

 

[DanielB]

In Voorschoten, between Leiden and The Hague, an NS intercity derailed last night after colliding with construction equipment on the tracks. At least one person was killed. 30 where injured, of which 19 were hospitalitized, including the train driver.

The train derailed at 3.25 last night after hitting a small crane. Two carriages left the embankment and came to a stop in a field. In one carriage a small fire broke out after the crash.

Source

More photos from the crash site here.

 

[AlexNL]

As things stand now, it looks like the construction crane got hit by a freight train first. This probably happened at the "railinzetplaats" (rail access point) at Voorschoten. The crane then got pushed into the path of the passenger train.

The freight train was led by a Baureihe 189 multi-system locomotive, hauling wagons loaded with chalk. The passenger train is a 4 car double decker unit (VIRM). The crane is what we call a krol, kraan op lorries, which is a rubber-tyred crane which also has retractable steel wheels for use on rail.

The deadly victim is reported to the the operator of the krol.

 

[Ash Bridge]

As things stand now, it looks like the construction crane got hit by a freight train first. This probably happened at the "railinzetplaats" (rail access point) at Voorschoten. The crane then got pushed into the path of the passenger train.

The freight train was led by a Baureihe 189 multi-system locomotive, hauling wagons loaded with chalk. The passenger train is a 4 car double decker unit (VIRM). The crane is what we call a krol, kraan op lorries, which is a rubber-tyred crane which also has retractable steel wheels for use on rail.

The deadly victim is reported to the the operator of the krol.

Firstly, RIP to the RR crane operator and thoughts to everyone else involved!

Thankyou for confirming it was a road-rail crane @AlexNL, I could see what appeared to be the remains of one of these machines in at least one of the pictures linked to by @DanielB previously, presumably of the same type as used here and in most other European countries. Is it yet known if this was on its rail wheels and engaged in the process of engineering work or was it trackside and put a position with too little clearance and therefore received a glancing blow from the Baureihe locomotive hauling the freight train?

 

[DanielB]

I did read some unconfirmed messages the crane actually wasn't in the tracks used by trains, but somehow got struck by the freight train. But as @AlexNL states the accident happened at an entry point for construction equipment, so it might have been on its way to the work zone.

At the accident site the line has four tracks, of which two where closed for engineering works. The other two tracks were in use in both directions. The freight train was loaded, so on its way northbound to Beverwijk. The passenger train was southbound to The Hague.

One of the passenger made a video of his escape from the crashed train, which is published here.

 

[Deroro]

Condolences to all the injured and relatives and friends of the deceased. I am due to travel to Den Haag Centraal this afternoon and am presently in Dublin airport awaiting my flight to Schiphol. It's a terrible shock.

 

[AlexNL]

In place, the tracks run from the north east (Leiden, Schiphol, Amsterdam) towards the south west (The Hague). At that location the railway is four tracked, and fully equipped for bidirectional running. Last night, the easternmost pair of tracks which was out of service, with the western pair of tracks was open to traffic. Trains in the Netherlands nominally run on the right, so the southbound passenger train was on the westernmost track.

The road-rail access point is to the west of the tracks. Given the time of the accident it is likely that the rail-road crane had finished its job and was on its way to leave the railway infrastructure, when something went horribly wrong.

From what I've seen and heard, the crane first struck a freight train (operated with a BR189 / ES64F4). Pictures I've seen of the damage show that the impact was on the left hand side of the locomotive. The force of the impact must've pushed the crane further towards the southbound track, as the passenger train struck it head-on.

GPS logs show that at the time of passing through Voorschoten station, the passenger train was traveling at a speed of 132 km/h.


It's truly a miracle that there's only 1 deadly victim, although that's not to say it's mild - 3 people are currently in ICU but are in a stable condition.

 

[DanielB]

The road-rail access point is to the west of the tracks. Given the time of the accident it is likely that the rail-road crane had finished its job and was on its way to leave the railway infrastructure, when something went horribly wrong.

This is the road-rail access point involved: ProRail aerial photo's.

The freight train was travelling northbound on the second track from the top, the passenger train was travelling southbound on the first track from the top.
Given that photos I linked above show debris from the platform retaining wall laying at the wrong side of the track the freight train must have in some way launced the crane into the platform, leaving the crane and concrete from the platform in the path of the intercity.

 

[citycat]

I got a lucky scoop today. Passing by my local station, Woerden, I saw the recovered freight locomotive from the train crash. It paused in the station for about ten minutes to allow various Sprinters and IC’s to pass by, before continuing its journey towards Gouda and Rotterdam.

For some reason, the photos look fuzzy until you tap on them, then they become clear.

 

[LOL The Irony]

I got a lucky scoop today. Passing by my local station, Woerden, I saw the recovered freight locomotive from the train crash. It paused in the station for about ten minutes to allow various Sprinters and IC’s to pass by, before continuing its journey towards Gouda and Rotterdam.

Jesus. I wouldn't like to have been on the second man's side there.

 

[AlexNL]

As part of the accident investigation, ProRail have written a statement of facts. This has leaked to the press (because of course those things leak).

- 03:23: the LWB contacts the signaller to request a line block, for the road-rail crane to move from the tracks under possession to the access point. Signaller responds that a block will be available approx. 10 minutes later.
- 03:29: ProRail infrastructure control centre contacts the signaller to inform them that multiple OLE sections have lost power, informing whether trains are still running between Leiden and The Hague.
- 03:31: ProRail incident control reaches out to signaller to ask whether there has been an accident at Voorschoten. Signaller responds that they're not aware of any accident, but have received reports from InfraCC about loss of traction energy.
- 03:31/03:32: Signaller tries to reach freight train, passenger train and a train following the freight train, can't reach any of the drivers.
- 03:34: driver of the train following the freight train calls the signaller to report loss of traction power just before The Hague Mariahoeve.
- 03:34: ProRail incident control room reaches out to the signaller again to inform them that the fire brigade have reported an accident where a train struck a crane, and that NS incident control report derailment of a passenger train. Emergency services dispatched.

LWB = Leider Werkplekbeveiliging, the person in charge of site safety and who is in contact with the signaller to arrange line blocks and movements to/from the worksite. I think the equivalent Network Rail role would be a merged form of PICOP (person in charge of possession) and COSS (controller of site safety).

 

[citycat]

A video has been posted by OV Nieuws showing the damage to the freight loco as it passed through Woerden.

Yours truly can be seen on the end of the video as a shadowy figure next to a red scooter.

 

[DanielB]

Some photos of the inside of the derailed passenger train have been published as well. Seeing what the cab looks like, the driver has been very lucky to survive the incident.

 

[LOL The Irony]

As part of the accident investigation, ProRail have written a statement of facts. This has leaked to the press (because of course those things leak).

- 03:23: the LWB contacts the signaller to request a line block, for the road-rail crane to move from the tracks under possession to the access point. Signaller responds that a block will be available approx. 10 minutes later.
- 03:29: ProRail infrastructure control centre contacts the signaller to inform them that multiple OLE sections have lost power, informing whether trains are still running between Leiden and The Hague.
- 03:31: ProRail incident control reaches out to signaller to ask whether there has been an accident at Voorschoten. Signaller responds that they're not aware of any accident, but have received reports from InfraCC about loss of traction energy.
- 03:31/03:32: Signaller tries to reach freight train, passenger train and a train following the freight train, can't reach any of the drivers.
- 03:34: driver of the train following the freight train calls the signaller to report loss of traction power just before The Hague Mariahoeve.
- 03:34: ProRail incident control room reaches out to the signaller again to inform them that the fire brigade have reported an accident where a train struck a crane, and that NS incident control report derailment of a passenger train. Emergency services dispatched.

LWB = Leider Werkplekbeveiliging, the person in charge of site safety and who is in contact with the signaller to arrange line blocks and movements to/from the worksite. I think the equivalent Network Rail role would be a merged form of PICOP (person in charge of possession) and COSS (controller of site safety).

So if this is the accurate version of events, it would appear that the line was accessed without the relevant block in place.

 

[AlexNL]

This is what the infrastructure look like:


Picture taken from ProRail's aerial photography service.

Tracks 1 and 2 were in service, tracks 3 and 4 were under possession. The freight train was heading north on track 2, the passenger train was heading south on track 1.

The crane would leave the worksite via the access point, and a line block has to be taken before allowing to cross. It's not currently known on which track the crane was doing work prior to leaving the railway.

As the damage to the freight locomotive is much more severe on its left side than it is on the right, I think this makes it likely that the crane was standing at the wide spot between tracks 1 and 2, with its rear overhanging the railway. My suspicion is that the crane operator lost situational awareness when he was preparing to leave the railway.

If the crane operator assumed that he was standing on track 4 when he converted his crane from rail-mode to road-mode, he would not have to drive far to get to the island between tracks 3 & 4. However, if he was actually standing on track 3 he would have to pull forwards a bit further to get to the wide island between the tracks - which in this case was the spot between tracks 1 & 2.

 

[XAM2175]

Some photos of the inside of the derailed passenger train have been published as well. Seeing what the cab looks like, the driver has been very lucky to survive the incident.

Bloody hell, you're not wrong there.

 

[Meerkat]

So if this is the accurate version of events, it would appear that the line was accessed without the relevant block in place.

Possible that "have a line block in ten minutes" got misinterpreted as "have a line block for ten minutes"?
Do they do the boring but essential repeat back to ensure understanding?

 

[MisterT]

Yes, we have to repeat back in all conversations with the signaller.
Also, it was stated that the LWB replied back something along the lines of 'I'll wait for your call back', so the information was communicated and understood correctly by both parties.

 

[Meerkat]

Yes, we have to repeat back in all conversations with the signaller.
Also, it was stated that the LWB replied back something along the lines of 'I'll wait for your call back', so the information was communicated and understood correctly by both parties.

Would that apply to the LWB forwarding on the message to the crane driver too?
In a less controlled place its easy to imagine someone indicating 10 minutes and being misinterpreted.

 

[TRXsouth]

Some photos of the inside of the derailed passenger train have been published as well. Seeing what the cab looks like, the driver has been very lucky to survive the incident.

Photo 6 shows a coach interior. Any concern about how the blue seat pairs have sheared off their single support posts?

 

[Meerkat]

Photo 6 shows a coach interior. Any concern about how the blue seat pairs have sheared off their single support posts?

It probably doesn’t have particularly worse outcomes (possibly better in some instances) but I don’t really fancy my chances in one of those lower deck areas during a crash.

 

[DanielB]

Photo 6 shows a coach interior. Any concern about how the blue seat pairs have sheared off their single support posts?

The carriage which ended up completely in the field suffered some pretty severe deformation of the lower deck area (see the photo series published by Omroep West). Probably the connection between seat and support post didn't withstand that lateral movement.

A regional press photo agency has published an extensive photo and video report on their website, showing the recovery operations: https://regio15.nl/nieuws/overige/35630/opruimen-van-de-ravage-in-voorschoten/

As shown in the report, the two carriages which remained on the embankment had their wheels replaced and are removed from the scene by rail. The two carriages which ended up in the field have been removed by crane and SPMT last night. They've temporarily been parked at a nearby industrial estate, awaiting transport to Amersfoort where NS will assess if either the VIRM can be repaired or it should be considered total loss.

Repairs of the tracks, OHLE and the platform of Voorschoten station are expected to take at least another week. Currently normal services between Leiden and The Hague are expected to resume on April 19th.

 

[rg177]

Reopened for @AlexNL to provide an update.

 

[AlexNL]

The Dutch Safety Board have provided their final report about this accident.

As is known, the road-rail crane crossed lines which were still in operation. A line block was required for the crane to cross, but this block had not yet been granted. The DSB have been unable to identify the reason why the crane driver crossed anyway - they were there alone, there were no witnesses other than the drivers of the trains involved, and there's no communication logging.

An English translation of the executive summary and recommendations made to various industry stakeholders can be found on the DSB's website: Collisions and derailment Voorschoten - ovv (onderzoeksraad.nl)

They've published a short video as well:

(Video in Dutch, subtitles available in Dutch, but YouTube does machine translations.)

ProRail (IM), NS (TOC), DB Cargo (FOC) and BAM (railway engineering company) have done a joint research and have published their findings as well. These can be downloaded here. This is a 500 MB (!) Powerpoint presentation, which goes into great detail as to what happened throughout this accident.

One thing to note: the double decker coaches which separated from the rest of the formation didn't just slide into that position: it rolled over its side and roof before coming to a rest upright again.