Train travel between The Hague and Leiden resumed on Thursday morning after a major crash in the Voorschoten area brought traffic between the two cities to a standstill on April 4.
In the early hours of Tuesday, April 4, a Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS) passenger train derailed after colliding with a small construction crane. The crash left one 65-year-old man dead. Dozens more were injured and had to be taken to hospital for treatment, while train traffic in and around Leiden was brought to a standstill.
At the time, NS had hoped to get services between The Hague and Leiden - a key commuter route - up and running again within a few days, but the extensive damage to the track meant significant repair work was needed before traffic between the two cities would be able to resume.
The diversion had knock-on effects on other services between The Hague and key stations at Schiphol Airport and in Amsterdam. In an attempt to limit the disruption to public transport services, NS deployed rail replacement bus services between stations in The Hague and Leiden.
NS initially said repairs would be completed by Tuesday, April 18. Later, this was pushed back to Friday, April 21. Construction work was completed slightly ahead of schedule, however, and at 5am on Thursday morning the track near Voorschoten was reopened for traffic.
This means that trains are once again able to access the train station in Voorschoten, thereby allowing rail services between the cities of The Hague and Leiden to resume. Trains are running according to the standard NS timetable.
Thumb: Nicolas Economou via Shutterstock.com.