Record number of trains ran a red light in 2015

In 2015, 92 trains on the Belgian rail network ran a red light, a sharp increase compared to 2014, writes Knack. The number is not only higher than last year, when 66 trains ran red lights, but it is also the worst result in five years, according to Belgian railway infrastructure manager Infrabel.

It is the second year in a row that there is an increase in the number of trains driving past a red signal on the main tracks. Infrabel points out, however, that the number of "potentially dangerous situations" decreased significantly in the same period, as running a red light does not necessarily lead to an emergency. The rail manager also asks that the number be placed in the right context, as it represents only a fraction of the total of nearly 1.3 million trains that ran on the network last year.

Of the trains that drove through a red light, most of them stopped shortly after the signal. Less than half (40 trains) came to a halt at a risky place, such as at the crossing with another track. This shows improvement, according to Infrabel, which credits the automatic safety systems capable of overriding human error: TBL1+ and ETCS.

The Belgian rail network is fully equipped with TBL1+ since late last year, and ETCS is expected to follow by 2022.