Bus hits train stopped on French side of Channel Tunnel, with 19 injured
Bus collision at Channel Tunnel terminal leaves 19 people injured
Ninoda.com – Nineteen people were injured when a minibus carrying lorry drivers collided with a freight train at the French entrance to the Channel Tunnel on Thursday evening.
The crash happened at 19:27 local time in Coquelles, close to Calais, where vehicles and freight are loaded onto trains for the cross-Channel journey. The bus driver and one passenger suffered serious injuries and were taken away by helicopter, although officials said none of the injuries were considered life-threatening.
The other injured people were passengers on the bus. The group was made up of men of several nationalities who were due to use Le Shuttle, the rail service that carries road vehicles through the tunnel between France and England. It was not immediately known whether any British nationals were among them.
Collision happened on a loading platform
Emergency teams were sent to the terminal after the vehicle struck a train on the loading area. The bus remained upright despite the impact, but the force of the collision caused injuries to those inside.
At the time, two trains were positioned on opposite sides of the platform. One was being loaded with heavy goods vehicles before its crossing, while another train that had already been loaded was leaving the area.
“Two trains were on either side of the platform. One was being loaded by heavy goods vehicles ahead of a cross-Channel journey, and another train that had previously been loaded was departing,”
Local sub-prefect Agathe Cury said the cause had not yet been established.
“For a reason that currently remains unknown, the minibus collided with the departing train.”
“The bus did not overturn, it is still upright – but the shock and the collision caused injuries to the people involved.”
An investigation has been opened to establish how the bus came into contact with the departing freight train. The incident was described as unprecedented for an Eurotunnel loading platform.
“It is the first time an incident of this type has occurred” on an Eurotunnel loading platform.
Rail traffic resumed after evacuation
Freight services and Eurostar passenger trains through the Channel Tunnel were not seriously affected. Traffic was paused briefly while injured people were evacuated and emergency responders dealt with the scene, but services continued afterward.
Motorists approaching the terminal were still moving through check-in following the crash. Evan Davis, who was travelling towards Calais through the tunnel, saw emergency vehicles gathered around one of the platforms after arriving in France.
“There were plenty of cars queueing up at check-in when I drove past just now, and I saw some cars going through check-in, so despite the collision they weren't being held.”
Images from the terminal showed a small bus with visible damage to its front and side near a train, surrounded by emergency personnel. The scale of the response reflected the number of people requiring medical attention, as well as the need to keep a busy international transport site safe while operations continued nearby.
Why the terminal remains a key transport link
The Channel Tunnel runs beneath the English Channel between Folkestone in Kent and Coquelles in northern France. It is one of the principal transport connections between the United Kingdom and continental Europe, serving passenger rail services, freight trains and vehicle shuttle operations.
Le Shuttle is distinct from Eurostar. Rather than transporting passengers in conventional railway carriages, it carries cars, coaches and freight vehicles on specially designed trains. Drivers and other occupants travel with their vehicles during the crossing, which makes terminal loading areas an important part of the journey.
Freight trains also use the tunnel to move goods between Britain and mainland Europe. The loading platforms at Coquelles therefore handle a mix of road vehicles, shuttle trains and other rail movements, requiring closely managed operations as trains arrive, load and depart.
Eurostar said its London services were unaffected because the crash occurred several kilometres away from the tunnel itself.
“An incident occurred several kilometers away from the Channel Tunnel. This incident does not involved or impact Eurostar trains running from and to London. All of Eurostar trains will run as expected.”
For travellers, the immediate significance was that the accident did not lead to a prolonged closure of the tunnel or a wider interruption to scheduled Eurostar services. However, the investigation will focus on the circumstances at the loading platform, where a minibus carrying workers collided with a train preparing to leave for the cross-Channel route.
Authorities have not yet released further details on what caused the crash or on the condition of the injured people beyond confirming that their injuries were not life-threatening.
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