Train crashes into ambulance; Far fewer trains running between Amsterdam and Haarlem
A train crashed into an event ambulance at a crossing in the Noord-Holland village of Halfweg on Monday morning. No one got hurt, but the accident severely restricted train traffic between Amsterdam and Haarlem.
The accident happened at around 7:30 a.m. on the railway crossing on Wethouder van Essenweg. The driver of the event ambulance, an emergency vehicle used to offer aid quickly at events, managed to get out of the vehicle and off the tracks before the train hit.
There were about 200 passengers on the train at the time of the accident. They were transferred to another train and continued their journey.
The accident initially halted train traffic between Amsterdam and Haarlem completely, but ProRail reopened one of the two train tracks for limited traffic around noon after the ambulance was removed from the track and the train driven away. The other track is currently being investigated and will be repaired later this afternoon, a ProRail spokesperson said to NOS.
NS expects to run far fewer trains between Amsterdam Sloterdijk and Haarlem until at least 4:15 p.m. Buses are running on the route as replacement transport. Passengers should take extra travel time into account.
The event ambulance involved in the accident belongs to the Event Medical Service. The organization said on Facebook that everyone was very shocked. “What a scare on this Monday morning,” the organization wrote. “The damage to the vehicle is extensive, but that pales in comparison to the fact that everyone was unharmed. We are extremely grateful for that.”
The police questioned the driver and sent him on his way. He remains a suspect while the police investigate the cause of the accident.
