Heavy lift and heavy transport specialist Mammoet has been tagged in to clear the train wreckage that occurred on April 4, in Voorschoten, in the western Netherlands with fatal results. To remind, on April 4, in the morning hours, with 50 passengers onboard, a passenger train collided with a freight train and a crane on the track with fatal results. 

The crane driver, employed by the contractor BAM unfortunately died in the accident while 30 of the 50 passengers in the commuter train sustained injuries.

Salvage and repair plans in place

Within days following the incident, ProRail, a Dutch government organisation responsible for the national railway network, together with contractors, have devised a salvage and repair plan. On April 6, the location was cleaned up and the remaining parts of the freight train have been removed. Additionally, preparatory work was carried out to salvage the passenger train.

ProRail noted that a temporary road was constructed for the cranes to be able to acces the accident site and remove the train components, with the work taking some 72 hours. ProRail said that two parts of the composition will be transported via the temporary road while the remaining parts will go via rail.

New rail sections have been brought over the weekend and as soon as the train sections have been removed, the track reparation will start, as well as the repair of the platform at Voorschoten station and the overhead wires and cables.

On Tuesday morning, April 4, a train accident occurred near Voorschoten. A rail crane, a freight train and a passenger train were involved. An employee of contractor BAM has died. There were about 50 passengers on the passenger train, 30 of whom were injured.

Mammoet does the heavy lifting

Salvage work and towing of the train sections started on April 10, Monday. The hoisting and recovering of the train parts began in the afternoon after the cranes were in place on the temporary road.

Mammoet first lifted the two train sections that were half on the track and half in the meadow. These parts were first placed completely in the pasture and readied to be loaded onto SPMTs at a later date to be transported to another location. Currently they are loaded onto low-loaders.

The third train section is first lifted so that a new bogie can be placed under it. This part, together with the fourth train part, will then be transported via the track.

ProRail could not indicate how long the salvage work or the following reparatory works will take place.