Train carrying 200 passengers hits fallen tree during storm in Brittany

On Friday evening, January 23, a regional TER BreizhGo train travelling from Brest to Quimper with around 200 passengers on board struck a tree that had fallen onto the tracks amid Storm Ingrid.

The collision occurred during the journey and resulted in the train reaching its final destination more than four hours behind schedule, as per French media.

Part of the tree became embedded in one of the train’s carriages.

Un @TERBreizhGo a heurté un arbre ce soir entre Dirinon et Châteaulin. Un passager a été blessé par un bris de verre lors de la collision. Le train parti de Brest à 16h26 est arrivé à Quimper 5 heures plus tard #Tempête #Ingrid @Prefet29 #Finistère pic.twitter.com/JwQWjh1FlI

— Jérôme Jarny (@jerome_jarny) January 23, 2026

Passengers described the impact as extremely violent. “It was a real tragedy that almost happened,” one passenger said. Another recalled that “the impact was so strong that it felt as if the train had derailed.”

At least five people were injured as a result of the collision. Emergency services responded by deploying around 60 firefighters and approximately 20 pieces of equipment to the scene. Rescue operations lasted nearly three hours, after which the train was able to resume its journey, albeit at a reduced speed of 70 kilometres per hour.

The accident disrupted rail traffic on the Quimper–Landerneau line, with several trains delayed or cancelled until services were gradually restored later in the evening.

By Tamilla Hasanova