De Akkers metro station explained

De Akkers
Symbol:metro
Symbol Location:rotterdam
Type:Rotterdam Metro station
Style:Rotterdam Metro
Platform:Island platform
Tracks:2
Opened:1985
Owned:RET

De Akkers (in Dutch; Flemish pronounced as /də ˈʔɑkərs/) is the most southwestern subway station of the Rotterdam Metro and is located in the Dutch city of Spijkenisse. The station, with one island platform, opened on 25 April 1985 as a terminus of the North-South Line (also formerly called Erasmus line), nowadays line D. Since the extension of the East-West Line (Caland line) opened on 4 November 2002, the station also serves as terminus of that line. The station is named for the adjacent neighbourhood and is located on top of its shopping mall.

Whale tail sculpture

In 2002, two whale sculptures, designed by architect and named Walvisstaarten (Dutch for Whale's tails) were installed at the end of the sidings beyond the station. The sculptures were made of reinforced polyester.[1]

Train crash

Just after midnight on 2 November 2020, a train empty of passengers, operated by RET, on the Rotterdam Metro crashed through the buffer stop at the end of the sidings beyond the station. The sidings are built on a viaduct projecting out over the canal. The lead car of the train came to a partial rest on a 10abbr=NaNabbr= high whale sculpture erected in front of the sidings, preventing the train from falling over the edge and into the canal below.[2] [3] [4] [5] Only the driver was on board when the crash happened and he freed himself without injury.[6] He was taken to hospital as a precautionary measure.[7] Maarten Struijs, the sculptor who created the artwork, said he was surprised that the sculpture had held together.

Following the crash, Struijs was interviewed about the sculptures, and reported that he was surprised the statue was able to hold the weight of the train,[8] and stated that "it does look rather poetic." He said the statue was never meant to be an extra safety measure for the trains.[9]

Since the crash, these sculptures have been referred to in some media with the name Saved by a Whale's Tail.[10]

See also

A Chicago Transit Authority train operator fell asleep at the throttle and overshot the buffers at the Chicago O'Hare International Airport station

A London Underground train overshot the buffers at Moorgate tube station

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Whale sculpture stops Dutch train plummeting off platform. 2 November 2020. 2 November 2020. TheJournal.ie. Press Association.
  2. Web site: Sculpture of whale's tail saves train from plummeting 30 feet off railway platform. 2 November 2020. ABC News. en.
  3. News: Kwai. Isabella. Moses. Claire. 2 November 2020. Whale Sculpture Stops Train From Plunge in the Netherlands. en-US. The New York Times. 2 November 2020. 0362-4331.
  4. News: Rotterdam Metro Train Plows Through Stop Block, Dangles on Artwork . 2 November 2020 . Storyful . 2 November 2020.
  5. News: Whale sculpture stops Dutch train crashing into water. Boffey. Daniel. 2 November 2020. 2 November 2020. The Guardian.
  6. Web site: Whale sculpture saves train that ran off elevated railway . The Irish Times . en.
  7. Web site: Petrány. Máté . Out of Control Metro Train Comes to a Stop on 30-Foot-Tall Whale Tail Art Installation. 2 November 2020. The Drive.
  8. Web site: 2 November 2020 . Whale sculpture stops Dutch train crashing into water. 2 November 2020. the Guardian. en.
  9. https://www.ad.nl/rotterdam/metro-knalt-door-stootblok-en-wordt-gered-door-walvisstaart-bestuurder-aangehouden~aeafdd92 Dutch news article
  10. Web site: Saved by the whale: Runaway train caught by fateful sculpture. 28 November 2020. www.msn.com.