At 03:25 CEST (01:25 UTC),[1] a freight train, operated by DB Cargo and hauled by DBAG Class 189 locomotive number 189 054,[2] collided with a road–rail crane that was obstructing the line at Voorschoten, South Holland, Netherlands,[3] which connects Leiden Centraal with Den Haag Centraal and Den Haag Hollands Spoor, all located on the Amsterdam–Haarlem–Rotterdam railway.

[5] The crane landed in the path of, and was then run into by, a passenger train,[4] operated by NS VIRM unit 9405.

[8] A small fire broke out in the rearmost carriage of the passenger train, but it was quickly extinguished.

A GRIP 3 situation was also declared, indicating an incident that threatens the well-being of a large number of people in a single municipality.

[4] On 5 April 2023, ProRail CEO John Voppen stated that the freight train was likely to have been on the correct track.

[14] Three people were sent to intensive care — two at Leiden University Medical Center and one at HMC Westeinde [nl].

[1] Their investigation will focus on whether the crane was being used on the correct track, and whether the freight and passenger trains were on lines that should have been closed or not.

[22] The OVV said that the Dutch government focused too much on keeping lines open above the safety of maintenance crews.

Although no definitive cause was established, it was noted that at Voorschoten maintenance workers had to cross railway lines open to traffic to reach their worksite.