![Pas-de-Calais : un TGV percute un poids-lourd entre Béthune et Lens [JOEL SAGET / AFP]](/cdn-cgi/image/onerror=redirect,width=640,height=640,format=webp/https://storage.googleapis.com/uploads.mongoosehq.com/url/media/121325369/e78992acf9773d1d6365860298e880f633261f56cd8f58ebfdf696b819d395cf)
Overview
- The Dunkirk–Paris TGV, which hit a heavy truck Tuesday near Bully-les-Mines, killed its 56-year-old driver and, according to the prefecture, left two passengers in critical condition and eleven with minor injuries.
- Rail traffic between Béthune and Lens remains halted with power cuts and reroutes on nearby Lille lines, and SNCF warns repairs and checks will take several days.
- Prosecutors on Wednesday asked a judge to place the 30-year-old Polish truck driver under formal investigation for homicide by vehicle after alcohol and drug tests came back negative.
- SNCF says the level-crossing barriers worked properly, and investigators have not determined whether the truck entered after they lowered.
- France has about 14,000 level crossings and recorded 89 accidents in 2024, including 20 fatal, a record that is likely to intensify pressure to remove high‑risk sites on lines used by TGVs.