Investigation into track tragedy

County Londonderry farmer James Craig died when his tractor was in collision with a train at the unmanned crossing near Limavady.

No-one on the train was injured, although the driver was very shaken following the accident.

Ciaran Rogan from Translink said it was a very tragic accident.

"The risk level at this crossing is being reviewed and the incident is being fully investigated by the Rail Accident Investigation Board from Great Britain," Mr Rogan said.

However, he said it was not physically possible to remove crossings like this from the railway line and people would always need to get across.

There had not been an incident at this particular crossing before, he said, and such crossings were examined every six months.

The line between Castlerock and Londonderry, which was closed after the accident, was reopened on Friday morning.

The crash involved the 1505 BST train from Londonderry.

Passengers on the train reported hearing a loud bang at about 1530 BST and seeing smoke and sparks. The driver then informed them there had been a collision.

Mr Craig's son, Robert, described his father as "a character". He said he lived for his farming.

"He took very little holidays, just worked hard and he kept us working hard," he said.

"He was a strong Christian man, loved his church and he has gone to rest with the Lord."

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