Limburg train derailed after collision with suspected rail

The derailment of the front car of an NS Intercity train was likely caused by a collision with a loose piece of track. The train, with about 250 passengers on board, struck the item early Sunday morning at about midnight.

It is still unclear how the loose piece of track wound up on the route, a ProRail spokesperson said. The national unit of the police department is conducting a technical investigation into the cause of the derailment.

The Intercity derailed by Wessemerdijk, near Leveroy, Limburg. There were no injuries, but train traffic between Weert and Roermond was shut down for hours.

Images circulating on the internet showed a loose piece of track at the location, the spokesperson said. She said it was not a piece of the rails, but she could not say what exactly caused the incident to happen.

The derailed train was put back on the track, and was able to be driven away independently. The track itself was damaged, but not to such an extent that trains cannot safely pass over it.

The NS announced at about 2:30 p.m. that the track was reopened and trains were running between Weert and Roermond. "We expect the timetable to get back up and running fairly soon."

The damage to the track will be repaired at a later date.