Hundreds of passengers on Utrecht train that jumps track; Evacuation underway
A train operated by national railway NS skipped over a loose track just south of Utrecht, at a the same spot where overhead electricity lines were also broken. Some 800 people were on the train when the incident happened on Friday at about 5:30 p.m. The train was due to be evacuated, said infrastructure firm ProRail.
There were no injuries, ProRail said. It was not immediately clear what caused the incident. "The train's windshield was damaged as a result. Fortunately, the driver was unharmed," ProRail stated. There was also damage to two pantographs atop the train, when are used to transmit and store electricity to power the train.
To get the passengers off the broken-down train, an empty train pulled alongside the occupied cars. Passengers were being transferred off the disabled train by about 7 p.m.
"Trains are currently unable to run" in the area, ProRail stated. "Two routes are significantly affected: the one from Utrecht to and from [Den Bosch], and the one from Utrecht to and from Arnhem. We recommend that travelers keep an eye on the journey planner to see what this means for their trip."
The disruption could continue into Friday night. The NS said a replacement bus service would help get passengers between Utrecht Centraal, Bunnik, and Driebergen-Zeist.
"Meanwhile, we're investigating the extent of the damage. Then we can also determine how to repair the overhead line. We're also preparing to tow the stalled train," ProRail stated.
"Repairing a broken overhead line will take considerable time. We'll first assess the damage before we can begin repairs. We hope all problems will be resolved by Saturday, but we can't be certain of that yet," a ProRail spokesperson told RTV Utrecht.
