Bad news, commuters: due to the train accident in Voorschoten on April 4, trains between Leiden and the Hague will not run until April 18. Earliest.
This was announced by NS and ProRail on Thursday afternoon. Initially, they had aimed for April 11, but the damage has turned out to be greater than expected, writes the NOS.
Repair work has not started yet
While the freight train has entirely been removed from the accident scene, part of the passenger train is still in the meadow adjacent to the train tracks.
Initial investigations have shown that additional measures are needed before the derailed passenger train can be removed entirely.
Only after all parts and debris have been removed, repair works can start on the tracks, overhead lines, and underground cabling.
Buses to replace the trains
To replace the trains that usually run between The Hague and Leiden, buses will run between the two cities in the meantime.
They stop at The Hague Mariahoeve, Voorschoten, Leiden De Vink, and Leiden Centraal.
Details remain unclear
At around 3:30 AM on Tuesday, April 4, a freight train collided with a construction crane on a train track near Voorschoten.
A few moments later, a passenger train derailed due to parts of the crane that were on the track. As a result, nineteen train passengers were injured, and the 65-year-old crane driver died.
READ MORE | How did the train accident in Voorschoten happen? Experts weigh in
Many questions surrounding the accident remain unclear as of now.
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“To replace the trains that usually run between The Hague and Leiden, buses will run between the two cities in the meantime. They stop at The Hague Mariahoeve, Voorschoten, Leiden De Vink, and Leiden Centraal.”
Is no one else furious that the trains don’t go all the way to Laan van NOI, which has actual useful connection to the rest of the country? Instead, they connect to a worthless sprinter station that no south-bound intercity goes out of, forcing everyone to take everything BUT the stopbuses.