“We came close to tragedy. » If the hundred or so passengers considered their journey to return to their Lot-et-Garonnais homes with humor, Friday November 29, at Bordeaux or Agen station, this is not necessarily the case for the people who waited more than three hours before the situation broke out following a collision between a car and a Ouigo train at the level crossing in Sainte-Bazeille. Nearly 900 passengers remained inside the impacted TGV before waiting on the platform, at Marmande station, for another train to be made available to finish their journey.
If, at the end of November, the driver of the vehicle which backed up at level crossing number 91 narrowly escaped, several tragedies have punctuated this area of Marmandais since November 2023, in particular at these crossings, all located on the commune of Sainte-Bazeille.
“We cannot monitor all the railway tracks”
Without mentioning a curse, the latest accident, which left its mark without constituting a desperate gesture, dates back to August 12, 2024. That day, a 58-year-old resident of Sainte-Bazeille collided with a TER at the level crossing number 90. He is still hospitalized in Pellegrin, in Bordeaux. According to our information, he regained consciousness and regained some of his motor skills.
Each time present on site after the incidents, the mayor of this border town of Marmande is saddened. He also sent a letter to the SNCF, the sub-prefect and the Region to think about solutions. “What happened on Friday was a miracle. It still happens here and it's still a concern, but we are helpless. We cannot monitor all the railway tracks. It seems to me that the flashing lights are clearly visible,” laments Gilles Lagaüzère.
Barriers across the entire width of the road?
What does he recommend? “The presence of half-barriers in certain places does not seem satisfactory. I continue to believe that barriers which would cover the entire width of the road would be more effective,” adds the elected official. The SNCF's response came in mid-November. “The four half-barriers surround motorists,” replied the company.
SNCF network carried out diagnostics on level crossing 90, where the August percussion took place. The specialists concluded that, for ten years, there had been no prior history in terms of accidents. “Throughout the commune of Sainte-Bazeille, the gendarmes' investigations concluded that there had been desperate actions, apart from the accidents of August and last Friday,” said a spokesperson for the carrier. Studies are regularly carried out to consider “the equipment that can be put in place” to avoid this type of tragedy.
Marmande in the viewfinder
A meeting on the issue of level crossing safety took place last week at the Lot-et-Garonne prefecture to take stock of the situation. Work is planned in several municipalities, including Marmande, but not in the center of Sainte-Bazeille.
In the City of Tomatoes, the level crossing on the Miramont-de-Guyenne road, near the station, is in the sights: it is classified as accident-prone by the SNCF with recurrences between 2014 and 2020. “Safety work are necessary to facilitate the passage of cyclists, pedestrians and scooters,” assures Jean-Claude Bourbon, municipal deputy, who represented the mayor at this meeting. They will only be possible once the construction site of the house which is collapsing nearby is finalized.
