Four passengers sustained minor injuries when an Arriva train struck a lorry carrying powdered milk in Leeuwarden on Friday evening.
Translation by Traci White
UPDATE: 10:21 a.m., Saturday, 12 January
Omrop Fryslan reports that train travel between Hurdegaryp and Leeuwarden may not be restored until late on Saturday afternoon as clean-up efforts continue following the collision. Andy Wiemer from ProRail says that there was extensive damage to the Arriva train, the rails and the barriers at the railroad crossing, and the cables connected to the barriers also have to be inspected. Wiemer also says that it remains unclear how the collision occurred.
Update aanrijding #Leeuwarden: De ontspoorde trein is op het spoor gezet en vanochtend weggesleept. Het spoor zal worden gereinigd om vervolgens te onderzoeken hoeveel schade er precies is. Het herstel zal zeker tot het einde van de middag duren. pic.twitter.com/8eVl2Uh9PP
— ProRail (@ProRail) January 12, 2019
Original story follows below:
OOGTV reports that the collision occurred around 7:45 p.m. at the railroad crossing at the Merodestraat near the former Achter de Hoven train stop in Leeuwarden. The fast train from Leeuwarden was travelling to Groningen and had just left the Leeuwarden central station, and struck a lorry carrying powdered milk on the grounds of the FrieslandCampina facility nearby.
A spokesperson for the police says that at least four passengers on the train suffered minor injuries and the lorry driver was not seriously injured. The conductor of the train also sustained minor injuries, but the police say that he did not require hospitalisation. The Leeuwarder Courant reports that there were dozens of passengers on the train at the time, and everyone was able to leave the train safely after the collision.
Due to the collision, there will be no trains running between Hurdegaryp and Leeuwarden for the rest of Friday evening. Rail replacement busses will be available for travellers. The police are looking into what caused the collision. The Achter de Hoven stop ceased service last summer, and was primarily used as a stop for employees of nearby factories and companies.
Photo source: @ProRail/Twitter
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