Dutch infrastructure agency ProRail has moved quickly to repair badly damaged tracks between Utrecht and Eindhoven. A huge accident on Friday (31 October) saw a full-speed express passenger train hit an articulated truck on a level crossing at Meteren, about 25 kilometres south of Utrecht. Over a kilometre of track was ripped up in the spectacular accident. Mercifully, despite the violence of the impact, only minor injuries were reported.
First things first. Everyone got out ok, with the exception of cuts and bruises, and potentially a traumatic experience they’ll still be telling to the grandkids. A few pears were bruised as well. On the serious side, it didn’t matter what sort of train was involved. The full-speed collision wiped out the truck and left a huge repair job for ProRail. Freight and passenger traffic is disrupted on the key Utrecht–Eindhoven railway after the serious collision at Meteren, which has closed one of the Netherlands’ most important mixed-traffic corridors.
Wreck-around-the-clock repairs
As reported by our sister service, RailTech.com, the crash caused significant damage to both the train and the infrastructure. The Utrecht–’s-Hertogenbosch–Eindhoven line carries a dense mix of intercity and regional passenger services alongside regular freight operations, including international traffic linking the Netherlands with Germany and Belgium.
Under normal conditions, up to ten passenger train paths per hour and two per hour for freight operate on the section through Meteren, making it a crucial artery in the Dutch rail network. In the interest of rail safety, ProRail has released CCTV footage of the moment of impact, giving drivers the sobering warning that, while not actually getting stuck on a crossing is a good idea, the next best thing is to drive on through it. Repairing a crossing is better than attending a fatality, they say.
After two days of clearing debris and assessing the damage, ProRail and its contractor Strukton began reconstruction work on Saturday, 1 November. Engineers are replacing around 500 sleepers and two kilometres of rail, along with the level crossing infrastructure, lighting, and signalling systems destroyed in the impact. A temporary access road and lighting have been installed to enable work to continue around the clock. While the overhead lines and underground cables remained intact, the precision work required to realign the track and crossing elements means that full restoration will take several days. ProRail is targeting the end of this week, if work progresses without delay.
Passenger diversions and freight impacts
Passenger disruption is already extensive. The Dutch national operator, NS, has deployed replacement buses between Geldermalsen and ’s-Hertogenbosch (also known as Den Bosch). Additional trains are running on the Utrecht–Rotterdam–Eindhoven–Heerlen route. Freight operators have been advised to reroute via alternative corridors, including the Betuweroute, though that line is already operating close to capacity. Given the importance of the Utrecht–Eindhoven axis for domestic and cross-border freight, the closure represents a significant logistical challenge. ProRail said it expects no services to resume before Friday morning, 7 November, as teams continue what it described as a “huge logistical operation”.
The swift mobilisation of resources reflects the strategic importance of the route and the urgency to restore mixed-traffic capacity. While the full investigation into the cause of the collision continues, the Dutch infrastructure agency has pledged to complete the repairs “as quickly and safely as possible”, mindful of the disruption to both passengers and freight carriers alike. The incident comes just a week after a near miss on the UK’s equally important East Coast Main Line, which is still a matter of investigation.
The Meteren incident has also highlighted the vulnerability of mixed-traffic corridors in the Netherlands, where freight and high-frequency passenger operations compete for limited track capacity. Even before the crash, the Utrecht–’s-Hertogenbosch–Eindhoven section was recognised by ProRail as a congestion hotspot. The temporary closure effectively removes two hourly freight paths in each direction—forcing international freight operators to divert or delay services. Industry observers say it underscores the need for continued investment in resilience measures—such as freight-dedicated routing, improved signalling, and dynamic traffic management—to maintain flow and minimise cascading delays when incidents occur.