Whale statue saves runaway metro train
A metro train in Spijkenisse, Netherlands avoided a nearly fatal crash and was saved by a special whale statue place on the end of the metro line. The front car of the metro ran off track after ramming through the stop barriers at the end of the elevated section of the metro rails that were caught by the fluke or whale tail of the giant statue.
LOOK: The driver of a metro train escaped injury when the front carriage rammed through the end of an elevated section of rails and was caught by a sculpture of a whale's tail near the Dutch city of Rotterdam. There were no passengers onboard pic.twitter.com/qaXjPuyHkn
— Bloomberg QuickTake (@QuickTake) November 2, 2020
Though no one was hurt in this misfortunate event, the solution of how to stabilize and remove the metro car without causing further damage to surrounding infrastructure. Concerns surrounding this dismantling project are growing with the likelihood of strengthening winds.
The architect of the life-saving sculpture, Maarten Struijs, was surprised the sculpture was strong enough to support the metro car after the plastic statue is standing after 20 years. Authorities are investing in how the train broke through the barrier at the end of the metro rail tracks.
