Two train sets of the passenger train involved in the accident in Voorschoten will probably be transported by rail on Tuesday morning. The salvage of the other wagons is still delayed due to strong winds. A ProRail spokesperson announced this on Monday.
One of the two trainsets was still on the track after the accident. The other train set was straightened on Monday afternoon by two cranes from the lifting and transport company Mammoet. That got new wheelsets.
Lifting the train set, which weighs between 40,000 and 90,000 kilograms, was done very carefully and slowly. The installations that Mammoet needs to store the trains together weigh about 1 million kilos, the spokesperson told NU.nl.
The trains are still packed before departure and are then driven to the nearby station of The Hague Mariahoeve to turn around. They then drive on to their final destination Amersfoort.
Ontvang meldingen bij nieuws over het treinongeluk
Train units in pasture only recovered on Tuesday evening
Cleaning up the two trains that are in the meadow has been postponed to Tuesday evening due to strong winds, the spokesperson says. “Then the expectation is that the wind will die down.” It would then be possible to hoist safely again.
The two trains in the meadow will be taken to a nearby company on a special platform. There they are loaded onto special trucks and then transported to Amersfoort.
Once all trains have been recovered, ProRail can begin repairing the track, platform, overhead lines and underground safety systems. A plan is now being drawn up for this.
Until April 18, no trains between The Hague and Leiden
Last Tuesday, a freight train and an intercity of the Dutch Railways collided with a construction crane. The passenger train derailed and partially ended up in the meadow. The crane operator, an employee of construction company BAM, was killed in the accident. About thirty people were injured.
The last wagons of the freight train were already removed last Thursday.
There will be no trains between The Hague and Leiden until at least April 18. According to ProRail, that time is needed to completely clear and repair the track at Voorschoten.
