The metro train in Spijkenisse, near the city of Rotterdam, was left suspended in the air following the derailment which saw it delicately balanced on the large sculpture of a whale’s tail.

The driver, who was the only person on board, was able to leave the train by himself. He was taken to hospital for a check-up and is not believed to have suffered any injuries.

“We are trying to decide how we can bring the train down in a careful and controlled manner,” one official told the Dutch national broadcaster NOS.

The sculpture, titled Whale Tails, is the work of the architect and artist Maarten Struijs, and was erected in the water at the end of the tracks at the De Akkers metro station in 2002.

Mr Struijs told NOS that he was surprised the structure did not break.

“It has been there for almost 20 years and… you actually expect the plastic to pulverise a bit, but that is apparently not the case,” he said.

“I’ll make sure that I get a few photos,” he added. “I could never have imagined it that way.”

Photos of the remarkable incident can be viewed here.