A train driver in the Netherlands has had a lucky escape after his train was saved – by a sculpture of a whale’s tail.

The statue, known as the “flukes” came to the rescue of the driver near the Dutch port city of Rotterdam, after his metro train ran through barriers at the end of the line.

The large train came to rest 10 metres above the water in which the sculpture, installed at the end of the metro tracks in 2002, is located.

The large crash woke up local residents when it happened at midnight and thankfully the driver escaped without injury. One nearby resident said: “It was a noise that lasted two or three seconds.

“I realized that there was something on the tail… I thought ‘Something very odd is happening here’.”

Unsurprisingly, the scene attracted lots of onlookers, who were told to move along for their own safety.

At the time, a spokeswoman for the local security authority, said: “A team of experts is investigating how we can make it safe and get it down. It’s tricky.”
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The sculpture officially named Whale Tails is made of polyester and is the work of artist, Maarten Struijs.