Disaster narrowly avoided by the driver: a bus broken down on a level crossing hit by a train (Photo)

De Lijn praised the driver’s quick reaction, which thus avoided a catastrophe. “Fortunately, he had the presence of mind to think directly about safety”said spokesperson Frederik Wittock. The cause of the outage is not yet known.

The rail network manager Infrabel, for its part, indicated that the collision took place less than four minutes after the breakdown. The number 1711, to be used in the event of an emergency on a level crossing, was however only dialed late, which did not make it possible to stop train traffic in time. “The train driver still applied emergency braking, but was unable to avoid the collision,” said spokesman Thomas Baeken.

Infrabel reminds you of the importance of quickly dialing 1711 in the event of an emergency on a level crossing. The necessary information, such as the exact location of the level crossing, is always displayed on a sticker affixed to the signal posts. You are also asked to keep a sufficient safety distance after calling this emergency number, to avoid any accident, particularly in the event of debris.

Train traffic is disrupted between Lichtervelde and Bruges following this accident. The impact caused the train to derail, damaging the infrastructure. Replacement buses have been put in place by SNCB. The situation could last until Monday, warned Infrabel.