Fortunately, there were no injuries, but the damage was considerable.
A freight train derailed this Wednesday around 5 p.m. at Carcassonne station (Aude) and destroyed one of the platforms, as well as part of the railway.
Questioned by La Dépêche du midi, a man present in the station at the time of the incident evokes "a deafening noise accompanied by showers of sparks and a lot of smoke".
According to the daily, the train consisted of 28 wagons, 700 m long.
Two wagons would have separated a few minutes before arriving at the station and during braking, part of the rails would have been torn off by the impact.
Carcassonne station 😱 pic.twitter.com/ywD4cjhPgB
— HAPLO 🦊🦡🌲🦔 (@Merlin08034622) November 23, 2022
The Carcassonne station had been undergoing major work since April and the rails on this portion had just been renovated, underlines L'Indépendant.
No train at least until Saturday
As a result of the damage, SNCF traffic between Narbonne and Castelnaudary, located on the Toulouse-Narbonne axis, will be interrupted at least until Saturday, the SNCF said on Wednesday evening.
“Replacement buses are being put in place to allow travelers to reach their destination,” the company further specified.
🔴 7:51 a.m.
The resumption of traffic should be possible from Saturday 26/11.
– liO Train SNCF Occitanie (@lio_train_sncf) November 24, 2022
The TER between Narbonne and Castelnaudary, Intercités Marseille-Bordeaux and TGV Toulouse-Lyon are particularly affected by this interruption.
The SNCF should be able to announce a more precise date for the resumption of traffic this Thursday, she said again.
