Belgium rail crash driver had been suspended for red light incident

A train driver involved in an accident which killed at least eight people in Belgium was suspended earlier this year for driving through a red light.

The 31-year-old man was banned from driving throughout February following the incident at the end of January in which nobody was hurt.

In the most recent incident, a crowded train smashed head on into an empty locomotive near the village of Pecrot in central Belgium.

Rail unions in Belgium say the driver only began his training in December and claim training cutbacks are to blame.

Railway company spokeswoman Leen Uyterhoeven denies training has been reduced and says drivers are only allowed to drive on sections they know well.