Sculpture stops the running Dutch train from plunging into the water
An elevated tram ran past the end of its tracks in Rotterdam on Monday, but instead of throwing 10 meters to the ground from a pier, it came to rest delicately on top of a statue of a whale’s tail.
The conductor came out shocked but unharmed and there were no passengers on board. The statue, which coincidentally had the title “Saved by a Whale’s Tale”, had not been intended to actually save a train.
“Of course it looks quite poetic,” artist and architect Maarten Struijs was quoted as saying by the newspaper Algemeen Dagblad. “But it’s really lucky that the tail can carry the weight of the train.”
What a tail: Dutch metro driver rescued after his train smashes through a barrier but is stopped from falling to the ground by a sculpture of a whale https://t.co/x21JonQJuA
– Danny Kemp (@dannyctkemp) November 2, 2020
The suspended tram could be seen by passers-by in the streets below. Middle urges social media to let it be a permanent addition to the artwork, Rotterdam Metro and local officials said it would not be safe.
Engineers studied how the tram and several others behind the track could be safely removed.
(REUTERS)
