List of rail accidents in the Netherlands

This is a list of railway accidents in the Netherlands, sorted chronologically.

1800–1899

• March 10, 1843 - During a test drive a locomotive derailed on a not well closed railway bridge near Warmond. 1 person was killed. This was the first railway accident in the Netherlands.[1]
• August 10, 1856 - Train accident near Schiedam. A train from The Hague rammed another train which also came from The Hague and which was headed from Rotterdam. 3 persons were killed and 5 were injured, all were third class passengers.[2]

1900–1999

• September 13, 1918 – Weesp train disaster, Weesp, Netherlands. Heavy rainfall caused the embankment leading to the Merwedekanaal bridge to become unstable. When a passenger train approached the bridge the track slid off the embankment, causing the carriages to crash into each other and the locomotive to hit the bridge. 41 persons were killed and 42 injured. In the aftermath of the disaster, it was decided to establish a dedicated study of soil mechanics at the Delft University of Technology.
• January 8, 1962 – The Harmelen train disaster, the deadliest railway accident in the history of The Netherlands, occurs when Leeuwarden – Rotterdam express train driver misses a warning signal in fog and passes a red signal to collide nearly head-on with another passenger train from Rotterdam to Amsterdam. 91 people (including both drivers) die, 54 are injured of which 2 lost their lives while in hospital.[3]
• May 4, 1976 – Schiedam train disaster near Schiedam: An international train collides with a local train, killing 24 people and injuring 11.
• August 29, 1979 – Nijmegen train disaster; 8 people die when two passenger trains (one of which wasn't carrying passengers) collide head-on at Nijmegen.[4]
• July 25, 1980 – Winsum train disaster: Two trains collide on a single track between Groningen and Roodeschool resulting in 9 deaths and 21 injured.
• December 27, 1982 - A boat train heading for Hoek van Holland collides with a local train near Rotterdam. 3 people die and 20 are injured.[5]
• November 30, 1992 – Hoofddorp train accident near Hoofddorp. An Intercity train, travelling from Amsterdam to Vlissingen derailed near Hoofddorp. Five people died, and thirty-three were injured.

2000–2009

• March 20, 2003 – Roermond. The driver of an NS passenger train suffers a heart attack, runs through a red signal, collides head-on with a freight train; the driver is killed, six passengers are injured seriously. After passing a distant signal at danger the automatic safety system did not enforce a deceleration large enough to prevent a collision.[6]
• September 5, 2006 – A diesel locomotive passes a red signal and collides with a passenger train at Amersfoort. Seventeen people are injured.[7]
• November 20, 2006 – A train passes a red signal causing a head-on collision in Rotterdam. The passenger train is empty and none are injured; there is extensive damage to the rail track and its overhead power lines.[8]
• November 21, 2006 – A train passes a red signal causing a head-on collision at Arnhem.[9]
• October 11, 2008 – Thalys trainset 4536 running between Paris and Amsterdam collide with a Koploper ICM unit near Gouda. A steam train hauled by a BR 23 2-6-2 locomotive, which had its route set into the path of the collision, makes a successful emergency stop.[10]
• September 24, 2009 – Barendrecht train accident – Two freight trains collide head-on below a viaduct on the A15 motorway near Barendrecht, killing the driver of one train. Derailed sections land on a parallel track, where a passenger train is approaching. A few passengers of the passenger train are lightly injured.[11]

2010–present

• July 25, 2010 – The driver and a second rail worker are injured when a Speno railgrinder fails to stop in front of the buffer stop at Stavoren. A shop lying behind the track is demolished.[12]
• January 11, 2011 – An ICE express train collides with a freight train and is derailed at Zevenaar. There are no injuries.[13]
• November 28, 2011 – A Sprinter collides with a stationary Sprinter at Leiden Centraal. Three passengers are injured.[14]
• April 21, 2012 – Sloterdijk train collision – Two trains are involved in a head-on collision between Amsterdam Centraal and Amsterdam Sloterdijk stations; one person dies, at least 117 people are injured.[15][16]
• September 11, 2012 – A HTM city tram crashed into the back of another HTM city tram at an intersection near the railroad station of The Hague Hollands Spoor. Both were carrying a large number of passengers. 36 people got injured, including one of the operators.[17]
• September 2, 2013 – The operator of a local train of Nederlandse Spoorwegen ignored a red light and was traveling way beyond the speed limit. The Automatic Train Control system didn't work. Therefore, the train severely damaged a turnout and ended up on the wrong track almost colliding with an intercity train at high speed. The train operators of both trains activated the brake systems just in time, thus avoiding a collision.[18][19]
• January 15, 2014 – A passenger train from Dutch Railways derails near the central station of Hilversum. The train was carrying approx. 550 passengers. No injuries were reported.[20][21]
• January 21, 2014 – An empty, out-of-service tram/LRT vehicle of HTM's Randstadrail service crashed into an in-service tram/LRT Randstadrail vehicle at a tram stop. 4 passengers were injured.[22]
• March 17, 2014 – A tram/LRT vehicle of HTM's Randstadrail service crashes into a city tram on an intersection near the city border with Delft. 20 people are injured, one of them severely.[23]
• March 17, 2014 – A passenger train from Syntus crashes into the trailer of a truck that got stuck at a railroad crossing near the town of Almen. The truck driver escapes just in time. 3 train passengers are injured. The train was carrying 100 people.[24]
• March 6, 2015 – A passenger train runs into the rear of a freight train between Tilburg Universiteit and Tilburg stations. A few passengers suffer slight injuries.[25]
• March 12, 2015 – A fire occurs on a passenger train at Abcoude, Utrecht. All on board are evacuated.[26] Twenty-four people are taken to hospital.[27]
• February 23, 2016 – Dalfsen train crash; A passenger train collides with a crane at Dalfsen, Overijssel. The train driver was killed, six are injured.[28]
• November 18, 2016 – A passenger train is derailed when it is in collision with a milk lorry on a level crossing at Winsum, Groningen. Eighteen people were injured, three seriously.[29]
• April 28, 2017 – A passenger train collides with a truck on a level crossing at Wouw and is derailed, injuring the driver.[30]
• September 20, 2018 – Oss rail accident; a passenger train collides with a Stint cart on a level crossing at Oss, killing four children and injuring two other people.[31]
• January 11, 2019 – A passenger train collides with a truck on a level crossing in Leeuwarden, Friesland and is derailed. Six people sustain minor injuries. The truck driver had parked on the level crossing while asking for directions.[32][33]
• 22 May 2020 - Hooghalen train crash - collision between a train and agricultural vehicle on a level crossing in Hooghalen, Drenthe. Machinist died, two injured.[34]
• 2 November 2020 - De Akkers metro station crash - Metro train derailment caused by failure to stop at De Akkers metro station's terminus, Spijkenisse. The train crashed through a buffer stop and came to rest partially atop a whale statue erected in front of the station.[35]

See also

• 1975 Dutch train hostage crisis
• 1977 Dutch train hostage crisis
• Lists of rail accidents

References

1. Handleiding tot de kennis van de verschillende soorten van locomotieven, C.C. van Hall, 1844 (in Dutch)
2. "Eerste treinramp met doden ook bij Schiedam". Dagblad van het Noorden (in Dutch). May 1, 2004. p. 6. Retrieved December 2, 2011.
3. Danger Ahead! Harmelen, The Netherlands, 1962
4. "Achtste slachtoffer treinramp Nijmegen". Leeuwarder Courant (in Dutch). September 4, 1979. Retrieved March 3, 2012.
5. 27 december 1982, de dag die ik het liefste zou vergeten, Trouw, October 10, 2010
6. "Onderzoeksrapport botsing plaats tussen een goederen- en reizigerstrein te Roermond op 20 maart 2003 (in Dutch)" (PDF). Inspectie Verkeer en Waterstaat. April 16, 2004. Retrieved August 26, 2011.
7. "Machinist botsing Amersfoort reed door rood" [Engineer in Amersfoort crash went through red signal] (in Dutch). De Telegraaf. August 22, 2007. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
8. nu.nl/algemeen | Treinverkeer rond Rotterdam komt weer op gang (video)
9. "Gewonden bij treinbotsing Arnhem" (in Dutch). nu.nl.
10. "Steam misses Thalys crash by just seconds". Steam Railway (356, November 14 – December 11, 2008): 100. 2008.
11. "nrc.nl – Binnenland – Dode bij treinbotsing Barendrecht". Archived from the original on 2009-09-28. Retrieved 2016-09-16.
12. "Two hurt as maintenance train ploughs through shop". DutchNews.nl. Retrieved 28 July 2010.
13. "Geen gewonden bij treinbotsing Zevenaar" [No injuries in Zevenaar train crash] (in Dutch). De Telegraaf. 11 January 2011. Retrieved 10 June 2011.
14. "Drie gewonden bij treinbotsing Leiden" [Three wounded in train crash in Leiden] (in Dutch). De Telegraaf. 28 November 2011. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
15. "More than 100 injured as trains collide in Amsterdam". CNN. 22 April 2012. Retrieved 22 April 2012.
16. "Dutch experts examine train crash site". The Age. Melbourne. 2012-04-23. Retrieved 2012-04-22.
17. "Tot 35 gewonden bij aanrijding trams Den Haag". telegraaf.nl. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
18. "Nieuws – msn". Archived from the original on 14 April 2014. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
19. "Bijna ramp in Zwolle" (in Dutch). deondernemer.nl. Archived from the original on 2014-04-14.
20. Dave van Aken (15 January 2014). "Trein ontspoord bij station Hilversum". Metro. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
21. http://www.onderzoeksraad.nl/en/beeldbank/1105/train-derailment-hilversum
22. "Tramongeluk Den Haag: deel lijn 4 gestremd tot 19.00 uur". Retrieved 15 November 2014.
23. Gerard van den IJssel (2 March 2014). "Den Haag FM Trams urenlang stil na ernstig ongeluk – Den Haag FM". Den Haag FM. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
24. "Trein ontspoord na botsing met vrachtwagen". NU. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
25. "Passagierstrein botst op goederentrein" [Passenger train collides with freight train] (in Dutch). De Telegraaf. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
26. "Brand in trein Abcoude" [Train fire at Abcoude] (in Dutch). De Telegraaf. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
27. "Treinverkeer Abcoude nog hele avond verstoord" [Trains disrupted all night at Abcoude] (in Dutch). De Telegraaf. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
28. Peters, Janene. "At least one killed after passenger train smashes crane; Train overturned". NL Times. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
29. "Several seriously hurt in Dutch train crash with milk truck". Channel News Asia. 19 November 2016. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
30. Pieters, Janine (28 April 2017). "DUTCH TRAIN DERAILS NEAR BELGIUM BORDER, INJURING ENGINEER". NL Times. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
31. "Children in cart killed in Dutch rail crash". BBC News. 20 September 2018. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
32. Newmark, Zack. "Video: Train crashes through semi-trailer in Leeuwarden". Netherlands Times. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
33. Pieters, Janene. "ProRail to press charges against trucker in Leeuwarden train crash". Netherlands Times. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
34. Anonym. "Dead and two slightly injured after collision between tractor and train in Drenthe | tellerreport.com". www.tellerreport.com. Retrieved 2020-05-23.
35. "Sculpture of whale's tail saves train from plummeting 30 feet off railway platform". ABC News. Retrieved 2020-11-02.