April 7, 2026, 9:31 a.mApril 7, 2026, 11:57 am
A serious public transport accident occurred in France on Tuesday. As Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot and the French railway SNCF write, there was a collision between a TGV high-speed train and a road train at a level crossing between Béthune and Lens in northern France. According to TF1 At least one person – the train driver – died. At least 13 people are said to be injured, two of them seriously. This is reported by TF1, citing the department’s prefecture. Other media reports at least 27 people were injured.
Here is Noeux-les-Mines:
The accident occurred at a level crossing in the town of Nœux-les-Mines, away from the French railway’s high-speed network. There the TGV traveled at the speed of a normal train. As the newspaper “La Voix du Nord” reported, the train collided with the trailer of a truck that was transporting army vehicles.
Photos from the TGV that were sent via a PN(HDF) and an exception from the army.
The conductor of TGV is décédé, RIP.
Il ya également des voyageurs blessés mais visiblement sans gravité.
C est en 1 semaine deuxième convoi exceptnel qui reste bloqué a PN pic.twitter.com/e5NAHNJkwM— Fabien Villedieu (@VilledieuFabien) April 7, 2026
How Le Parisienthere were 243 people on board the train. This derailed after the impact. The passengers were then evacuated. The route between Béthune and Lens will remain closed all day. Train services on the Lille-Douai, Lille-Lens and Lille-Béthune lines will be suspended until mid-morning. The TGV had been on its way from Dunkirk to Paris and was traveling at the speed of a normal train.
In photos shared by a rail union official, the train’s power car was badly damaged and had jumped off the tracks. Just a week ago, a heavy transport for the army got stuck on a railway crossing, said the trade unionist.
Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot announced that he would travel to the scene of the accident together with SNCF boss Jean Castex. How the serious accident could have occurred remains unclear. The driver of the truck was taken into police custody, as “La Voix du Nord” reports. (dab, with material from Keystone-SDA)
More coming soon…