Close Call on Belfast Railway: Investigation Underway

0:00On April 16, a close call on Belfast transport lines last month has rail investigators on the case. On March 20, around 4.40pm, a heavy goods vehicle crashed on the M2 motorway near York Street and North Belfast. It smashed through a roadside barrier and ended up right on the verge next to the Belfast to Dairy London Dairy Railway, just inches from the tracks. Moments later, the 1551 passenger train from Larn Town to Belfast rolled up. The driver spotted the lorry, hit the emergency brakes, and passed it safely at about 16 miles per hour without any contact. The train made it to York Street station, where the crew called it in right away. The lorry driver got hurt in the initial crash, and there was damage to the vehicle, barriers, fencing, and even some rail gear. Emergency crews like police, fire, and ambulances rushed to the scene. Road and rail traffic ground to a halt, with trans links to spinning services between York Street and White Abbey hitting commuters hard.

1:00Now the UK's rail accident investigation branch is digging deep. They're looking at how the crash happened, why that barrier didn't hold, and bigger risks of road vehicles spilling onto tracks across Northern, Ireland. This independent probe will wrap up with a full report, packed with safety fixes to keep these lines safer for everyone rolling through. From across Europe, powered by AI, this is Europe News Today.