A deadly early-morning collision between a high-speed TGV passenger train and a heavy truck hauling military equipment has left the train’s operator dead and 13 other people injured in northern France, authorities confirmed this week.
The crash unfolded just before 7 a.m. local time on Tuesday along the route between the towns of Béthune and Lens, located in the Pas-de-Calais region, according to local officials. The TGV was operating a scheduled passenger service from Dunkirk to the French capital of Paris when it struck the lorry at an unsecured level crossing.
French regional president Xavier Bertrand was among the first officials to confirm the fatality, identifying the victim as the TGV’s driver and calling the incident a devastating “terrible tragedy.” “My thoughts are with his family, his loved ones and all the staff who are mourning his loss,” Bertrand posted on social media platform X Tuesday morning.
Of the 13 injured passengers and crew, two people remain in critical condition while 11 others have been treated for minor wounds, French national media outlet Franceinfo reported, citing preliminary emergency response data.
Hours after the crash, French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot announced he was traveling to the collision site alongside Jean Castex, chief executive officer of state-owned national rail operator SNCF and former French prime minister. Castex had not issued a public statement on the incident as of Tuesday afternoon, and the BBC confirmed it had reached out to SNCF for additional comment on the investigation.
Rail worker union SUD-Rail has already called for full public disclosure of all findings from the official probe into the crash, demanding “total transparency” from regulators and SNCF leadership.
Regional rail operator TER Hauts-de-France has confirmed that all rail traffic between Béthune and Lens was suspended immediately after the collision, with disruptions expected to last through mid-morning Tuesday. Limited service on alternate routes began rolling out gradually as emergency crews cleared the crash site.
This latest incident comes less than two weeks after another fatal train-truck collision in southeastern France’s Var region, which claimed one life. While level crossing collisions are relatively uncommon across Europe, official data shows such incidents are far more frequent in France than in neighboring the United Kingdom.
Preliminary 2024 figures recorded 89 level crossing collisions across France this year, resulting in 20 total deaths. By comparison, the UK recorded just six such incidents in the same period. Between 2021 and 2023, France averaged more than 100 recorded level crossing collisions per year, according to national transport safety data.