Netherlands Train Crashes Into Maintenance Crane, Killing One; Dozens Hurt

Aftermath following the derailment of a passenger train after it hit construction equipment on the track in Voorschoten, Netherlands, on April 4, 2023. Kyrlian De Bot/via Reuters

VOORSCHOTEN, Netherlands—A passenger train in the Netherlands rammed into a maintenance crane on the railway tracks early on Tuesday, killing the equipment operator and injuring dozens of passengers as the train derailed, officials and local media said.

The maintenance work was planned and standard, but “we have no idea how the crane got on the track which was still open for traffic,” John Voppen, the CEO of railway infrastructure firm ProRail, said at a news briefing.