Bus struck by train had technical problems, police say

The bus that was hit by a train at a railway crossing near Bergen op Zoom on Monday was stuck on the tracks due to technical problems, the 67-year-old bus driver told investigators, according to police. There were no injuries in the incident, though ambulance personnel looked after the driver at the site of the crash.

"The driver stated at the scene that the traffic signal gave a green light, and he drove up on the railway crossing, and the bus then came to a standstill at the intersection. Then the barriers came down and he jumped out of the bus," said a police spokesperson.

The police said they still consider the driver to be a suspect in the case, but said they will not question the man until the results of the investigation into the cause of the collision are known. Forensic investigation has to take place at the scene, and a technical investigation needs to be carried out on the bus. A traffic accident analyst, employees of the police department’s traffic division, and the national unit of the police department are conducting the investigation.

There were no passengers on the bus when the train crashed into it. The bus was out of service at the time. The driver was on his way to the storage facility after a morning shift, said the bus company, Connexxion, earlier on Monday. Subcontractor BusiNext was operating the Connexxion-branded vehicle, at the time of the collision.

The area around Marconilaan, where the accident happened, has been closed to traffic. According to rail manager ProRail, the an enormous amount of damage was caused. Due to the collision, no trains can run to and from Zeeland for three days. However, express buses and all-stop buses will operate in the area.

The bus driver, train driver, and the 85 occupants oj the train were examined by emergency services. No one was injured, but two passengers suffered from minor headaches, police said.