Signal box not equipped with emergency brake at site of rail accident

The signal box closest to the site of the deadly train accident on Sunday night in Saint-Georges-sur-Meuse was not equipped with the safety system TBL1 +, which would have prevented the accident, write the Mediahuis newspapers.

After the train accident in Buizingen in 2009, the entire Belgian rail network was equipped with the safety system TBL1 +, which ensures that a train automatically brakes should the driver ignore a red signal. But the signal box at the site of Sunday's deadly accident was not equipped with the security system, according to railway documentation, and confirmed by the on-site investigation team.

According to the specialists, the passenger train crashed into the freight train about 800 metres after the signal, a distance that would have allowed plenty of time for the safety system to bring the train to a halt.

Railway infrastructure manager Infrabel, which is responsible for the installation of safety measures on the network, has not yet commented on the signal with the missing TBL1+.