Truck is pulling out and tilts on the Railway: major nuisance, two trains without air conditioning stand still (Dilbeek)
© If
A spectacular accident currently causes a lot of nuisance on both the track and on the road in Groot-Bijgaarden. A trucker that rode up with a tipper bin on the Brusselsstraat, all the overhead line on the level crossing went off. Afterwards the truck tilted. Two trains stand still in full track without air conditioning. « The only positive thing here is that the driver remained unharmed, » Thomas Baeken van Infrabel sighs.
It was around 3.10 pm a truck driver with his truck to Robert Dansaertlaan. The technical camera on the level crossing has filmed the entire accident, making the circumstances clear. « The tipper bin of the truck was still up and the driver then drove against the overhead line, » says Thomas Baeken of Infrabel. « He pulled all the pipes, making the damage particularly large. Then the truck is also tilted. According to the first reports, the driver could crawl out of the cabin on his own forces and remained unharmed. »
Train traffic is standing still
The impact on train traffic is great. « Currently, the train traffic between Jette and Ternat is completely quiet, » says Baeken. « That was first from Jette to Denderleeuw as a safety margin, but that could be adjusted quickly. Two trains came to a halt in full track. Given the warm temperature and the fact that the trains logically fell without air conditioning, the NMBS will evacuate the passengers as quickly as possible. They will also provide replacement buses. »
« On one train there were eighty travelers, on the other, » says Bart Crols of the NMBS. « At 4.15 pm, one of the two trains was already completely evacuated with the help of the emergency services. Afterwards, the evacuation of the other train was started. The stranded travelers on line 50 can use the STIB network to continue their displacement. »
« We have inlaid replacement buses between Jette and Denderleeuw », still Crols.
3,000 volts
« This could all have ended much worse, » says Baeken. “There is 3,000 volts on such a pipe. So it is a bright spot that the man brought it alive. And in spite of all the awareness campaigns, this accident still happened – the umpteenth case where a truck pulls a overhead line. We already called truck drivers more often to pay attention to it: make sure that the loading bake is not. Anyway, the evil is now done.
« We will now inspect full damage to determine how large it is and then the recovery can start, » says Baeken. « But that is a work of longer breath – count on at least a few days. And first it will not be evidence to hoist that truck away there. »
