The fatal train disaster in Voorschoten last year was an accident. That is why there will be no criminal charges, the Public Prosecution Service reported today. A stall operator was killed in the collision and dozens of passengers were injured.
Yamilla van Dijk, Michiel van Gruijthuijsen
02-04-24, 12:10
Latest update: 14:11
Almost a year ago to the day, on the night of April 3 to 4, 2023, work was underway on the track between The Hague and Leiden. Around half past three, a freight train collided with a crane (krol, crane on trucks) belonging to the contractor near Voorschoten. Minutes later, an NS passenger train crashed into the wreckage and loose parts of the platform. The train derailed. Thirty passengers were injured and the crane operator died.
Due to the work, two of the four adjacent tracks were taken out of service. Just before the maintenance was completed, the krol was driven back to the crossing at the station. There the crane operator would wait for the rest of the work team before crossing the other two tracks together.
Also read – Agent Floor found total chaos at the Voorschoten train disaster – Beringe mourns Martin (65), victim of the Voorschoten train crash: ‘He had just become a grandfather’
In order to cross safely, a temporary out of service of the two tracks would be requested from the train traffic controller. It would then send a signal to that effect. Before that message came and before the rest of the team had arrived, the engineer drove his crane over the track. An accident could no longer be prevented then.
An investigation by the Dutch Labor Inspectorate (NLA) and the National Police Unit (since January 1, 2024, the National Expertise and Operations Unit) shows that no criminal offenses were committed that led to the accident.
No shortcomings were identified in the communication between team management and crane operator
TO
During the maintenance work, work was carried out in accordance with the safety regulations applicable within the industry. It therefore remains unclear why the driver ended up with his crane on the track of the approaching freight train. “No shortcomings have been identified in the communication between team management and crane operator,” the Hague Public Prosecution Service writes.
‘It is not possible to determine why the crane operator started the crossing earlier, despite this agreement.’ No technical defects were found on his crane. There are also no indications that the crane operator had become unwell or that the crane had been deliberately placed in front of the freight train.
The Functional Public Prosecutor’s Office therefore concludes that there was an accident. This decision has now been communicated to the victim’s relatives, employees involved and the staff and occupants of the passenger and freight train.
The Dutch Safety Board is also investigating the accident. It focuses on the question of why the crane ended up on a track that was still in use, and how occupational and railway safety are taken into account in planning and carrying out maintenance. It hopes to publish the research results in mid-May.
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Below, watch the images recorded just after the train disaster last year.
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Reactions from local residents after the train accident near Voorschoten (video):
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