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Rail line reopens after train hits tractor trailer

Vanessa Pearce & Tanya Gupta
BBC News, West Midlands
SWNS A train which has hit a red trailer. The trailer has been damaged by the train and is crumpled.SWNS
Fifty-six people were on board the train when it crashed on Thursday morning

A rail line has reopened after a train hit a tractor and trailer on a level crossing in Herefordshire.

The crash near Leominster on Thursday, which involved a Transport for Wales (TfW) train, saw a 32-year-old man arrested and two people taken to hospital with minor injuries.

Rail disruption hit the network for more than 24 hours with the rail line blocked between Hereford and Shrewsbury.

On Friday afternoon, TfW and Network Rail issued a joint statement to say the mainline had reopened, but customers should continue to check before travelling.

A train has come to a halt after hitting a tractor and trailer. A field can be seen in the foreground with emergency and other vehicles part in front of the train.
Two people were taken to hospital after the crash

The rail operator said rugby fans travelling to Cardiff this weekend were advised to allow extra time for their journey.

On Friday, British Transport Police (BTP) said the man who was arrested had been released under investigation.

Wye Valley NHS Trust said the two people who were injured had been discharged.

Fifteen other people were checked over and discharged at the scene. The tractor driver was uninjured, the ambulance service added.

A woman with blonde hair scraped back is wearing glasses. She is wearing a blue top with a red and white collar.
Morgan Shake was among 56 passengers on board the train travelling between Manchester Picadilly and Cardiff

Morgan Shake was among 56 passengers on board the 08:30 train from Manchester Piccadilly heading to Cardiff when the crash happened at about 10:40 GMT.

She described hearing a "really loud bang" as the train hit the trailer on land at Nordan Farm.

"The train just stopped moving, there was just debris everywhere," she said.

"Not many people knew what was going on," added fellow passenger Sophie Hughen.

"But thankfully no-one was severely injured at all, so that was really good."

A welfare unit is parked in a driveway with two men in overalls standing at the open door.
Inquiries are ongoing to understand the circumstances leading to the crash

A spokesperson for the Rail Accident Investigation Branch said a team of inspectors had been at the site, gathering evidence.

The level crossing takes a farm track across the railway tracks and is only used by agricultural vehicles.

The facility is a user-worked crossing - in these cases, when a railway crosses private land, the owner of the land, working with a signaller, is responsible for opening and closing the gates.

A fire service vehicle and a police car are parked at the entrance to a track. Another fire service vehicle can be seen in the background.
A farm track goes across the railway and is only used by agricultural vehicles

Last month, investigators found several faults in a safety system on a TfW train after a fatal crash in October 2024.

The trains - the Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth service and the Machynlleth to Shrewsbury service - were travelling in opposite directions on a single line and were meant to pass on an extra section of line, but the braking system failed.

One man, 66, died and four other passengers were seriously injured.

The RAIB's investigation into the 2024 crash continues and a final report will be published at a later date.

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