Man narrowly escapes train at Twello level crossing

A man narrowly escaped being hit by a train at a level crossing in Twello, Gelderland, on Thursday afternoon. ProRail, which manages the national rail network, reacted with alarm.

ProRail said the man chose to cross while the warning lights were flashing and the bells were sounding, and ended up in danger of being hit by the oncoming train.

"This is a life-threatening and incredibly stupid action," ProRail said in a statement. It said the man ignored the lights and bells, which start 5 seconds before the barriers come down.

ProRail said that anyone with a long plank and a bicycle in their hands must make sure they can leave a crossing as quickly as possible.

"He takes an irresponsible risk, and the chance of a collision causing damage or injury is considerable; the train misses him by a whisker," ProRail said. It added that he endangered not only himself but also the train driver, who "has to watch helplessly and hope that such an action ends well". That, it said, is a stressful situation that could easily have been avoided.

ProRail said it hopes the man, and everyone who sees the footage, learns from it and never again does anything like it.