Incident Overview

* **Time & Location**: The collision occurred shortly before **7:00 a.m.** at level crossing number 96 in **Bully-les-Mines**, near Lens and Béthune in the Pas-de-Calais region.
* **The Impact**: The train, traveling from Dunkirk to Paris at approximately **160 km/h (99 mph)**, struck the trailer of an "oversized convoy". The impact was so severe that the military cargo—a **military pontoon** or amphibious vehicle weighing dozens of tons—was thrown approximately 10 meters into a nearby garden.
* **Casualties**:
   * **Fatalities**: The **56-year-old train driver**, an experienced professional nearing retirement, died instantly.
   * **Injuries**: Approximately **16 people** were injured. While initial reports varied, authorities confirmed two people were in critical condition (though later stabilized) and 13 to 14 others sustained minor injuries.
* **Passengers**: There were between **200 and 246 passengers** on board the train at the time of the crash.

Investigation and Context

* **The Truck**: The vehicle was a civilian truck belonging to a commercial haulier, not a military vehicle, though it was transporting equipment for the French army.
* **Legal Action**: The civilian truck driver was taken into custody for questioning as part of an investigation into **involuntary manslaughter**.
* **Disruptions**: Rail traffic between Dunkirk and Paris, specifically on the Béthune-Lens line, was interrupted for the remainder of the day as emergency crews cleared the wreckage and inspected the tracks.

On Tuesday, April 7, 2026, a high-speed TGV train collided with a truck carrying military equipment at a level crossing in northern France, resulting in the death of the train driver.