Train passes through Alps crossing with ‘barriers up’

Drivers on the road in the town of Chabrières were forced to stop with no barrier or warning lights as a passenger train moved through.

Luckily, no cars or pedestrians were on the crossing at the time, as reported by local newspaper La Provence.

Witnesses described the scene as “shocking”, with one driver capturing the moment on their dashboard camera, in a video showing the scene, with the driver clearly able to be heard saying: “Look, the barriers are still up, and the train is passing, right in the middle of the road”.

“It is incredible; it is so dangerous,” one witness was reported as saying. “Thankfully, the drivers in front saw the train and stopped. It is shocking, especially in light of recent events and problems on train crossings.”

The incident has been seen as particularly worrying as it comes just three weeks after the Millas train-bus disaster, which killed five children and injured many more.

But while the Millas train was operated by SNCF, this more recent incident was the responsibility of Chemins de Fer de Provence. The train in question was not a commuter service, but was in fact a tourist train named “Train des Pignes”.

When approached by La Provence, the company admitted there had been a temporary problem with the barriers on that part of the line, but defended its safeguarding procedure, saying that adequate warning from the train had been put in place to minimise the chance of any accident.

"The driver was warned of this by a warning light well before the crossing,” the firm said.

“Specific procedures are put in place in these cases. Trains must slow down and pass through level crossings at extremely low speeds of 10 km/h or less. In addition, a train crew member must get off to set up a traffic control procedure."