Friends of the Rail Forum

Dozens injured in Dutch train collision

BBC 21 April 2012 Last updated at 19:07 GMT

Dozens of people have been injured, at least 15 of them seriously, when two passenger trains collided in the Amsterdam area, Dutch officials say.

They say the accident happened near Sloterdijk, to the west of the capital.

Neither train was derailed, and footage from the scene appeared to show minor damage.

The injured were taken to hospital by ambulance. It was not immediately known what caused the crash on Saturday evening.


At least 33 injured in Dutch train crash - media

AMSTERDAM | Sat Apr 21, 2012 7:45pm BST

(Reuters) - At least 33 people were badly injured when two trains collided head on in Amsterdam on Saturday, Dutch media reported, and the ANP agency said the casualty toll may rise.

Neither Dutch railways group NS nor police authorities were immediately available to comment.

Netherlands public broadcaster NOS aired video footage showing two trains that had collided.


Forty-eight injured in Dutch rail crash

ITV 7:32PM, SAT 21 APR 2012
World Amsterdam

Forty-eight passengers have been injured in a collision between two trains in Amsterdam.

The evening collision was between two passenger trains near the city's Westerpark, local news network AT5 said.

AT5 posted photos on its website showing two trains that appeared to have collided head-on. Both trains were still on the rails and did not appear to have major damage.

Dutch rail network operator Prorail spokesman said the passenger's injuries ranged from scratches to broken bones.

Amsterdam train crash leaves dozens injured

Police say 13 people are in critical condition after two trains collide head-on in Dutch city's western district of Sloterdijk

Cass Jones
The Observer, Sunday 22 April 2012

More than 100 passengers have been injured after two trains collided head-on in Amsterdam. Of those hurt, at least 56 suffered severe injuries and 13 were in a critical condition, according to a police spokesman.

The crash, involving an inter-city train and a local stopping service, happened near Sloterdijk, to the west of the capital, at around 4.30pm.

A police spokesman, Ed Kraszewski, told Amsterdam's AT5 news station that the spaciousness of the carriages on one of the trains may have contributed to injuries. "We assume many people were thrown around the train by the crash – against walls, seats and other people," he said.

He added that some of the victims had broken bones and neck injuries.

One of the trains was serving the cities of Den Helder and Nijmegen. The other ran between Amsterdam and Uitgeest, a railway official said.

The accident happened at a busy section of the Dutch rail network, disrupting services between Amsterdam and The Hague and also to Schiphol airport outside Amsterdam.

One passenger, Giovanni Laisina, said: "Everybody was in panic. Everybody was screaming. A lot of people were injured. There was a lot of blood.

"I was shocked in the beginning, but because I don't have any injures at all … for me it's OK. It's a little bit surreal."

It is not clear how the trains ended up on the same track. An investigation into the cause of the collision is under way.


Netherlands train crash: Scores injured in Amsterdam

BBC 21 April 2012 Last updated at 21:13 GMT

About 125 people have been injured, at least 13 of them seriously, when two passenger trains collided in the Amsterdam area, Dutch officials say.

They say the accident happened near Sloterdijk, to the west of the capital.

Neither train was derailed, and footage from the scene appeared to show minor damage.

The injured were taken to hospital by ambulance. It was not immediately known what caused the head-on collision on Saturday evening.

The crash involving an inter-city train and a local stopping service happened at about 18:30 local time (16:30 GMT).

"We assume many people were thrown around the train by the crash: against walls, seats and other people," police spokesman Ed Kraszewski told Amsterdam's AT5 news station.

He added that some of the victims had broken bones and also sustained neck injuries.

All the passengers were later helped out of the carriages.

One of the trains was serving the cities of Den Helder and Nijmegen, while the other ran between Amsterdam and Uitgeest, railway official said.

The accident happened at a busy part of the Dutch rail network, disrupting services between Amsterdam and The Hague and also to Schiphol airport.

An investigation into the cause of the collision is now under way.

Dutch train crash: Woman dies of her injuries

BBC 22 April 2012 Last updated at 16:29 GMT

A 68-year-old woman has died of injuries in a head-on collision between two trains near the Dutch city of Amsterdam on Saturday, officials say.

Amsterdam Mayor Eberhard van der Laan said 16 other people seriously injured in the crash remained in hospital.

In all, 117 people were hurt in the accident, which happened near Sloterdijk, to the west of the city.

Services were disrupted between Amsterdam and The Hague, and also to Schiphol airport.

The name of the victim was not given but she was said to be from the eastern Netherlands.

Bert Meerstadt, director of national railroad operator NS, declined to speculate on what had caused the collision.

Crash investigators, he said, would study "black box" recorders on both trains.

Two separate investigations will focus on whether human error or a mechanical problem led to the collision.