Rail line stays shut after train hits tractor trailer
A rail line is to remain closed after a train hit a tractor and trailer on a level crossing in Herefordshire.
A 32-year-old man was arrested following the crash involving a Transport for Wales (TfW) train near Leominster in Herefordshire, on Thursday morning. He was later released under investigation, police said.
Two people were taken to hospital following the crash suffering minor injuries, said British Transport Police (BTP).
The line between Hereford and Shrewsbury is expected to remain closed throughout Friday.
A joint statement from TfW and Network Rail said work was under way to reopen the line and restore services "as quickly as possible".
"Replacement road transport remains in place between Hereford and Shrewsbury and tickets will also be valid for use with other operators via all reasonable alternative routes as well as with Stagecoach bus," the statement said.
A further update is expected at about midday on Friday.
Morgan Shake was among 56 passengers on board the 08:30 train from Manchester Picadilly 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 spokesperson for the Rail Accident Investigation Branch said a team of inspectors was at the site, gathering evidence.
West Midlands Ambulance Service said one man was airlifted to hospital in Hereford, and a woman was taken to the hospital by road.
Fifteen other people were checked over and discharged at the scene. The tractor driver was uninjured, the ambulance service added.
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.
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.
Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Man arrested after train hits tractor and trailer

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
US foreign policy no basis to detain Columbia protester Khalil, judge rules
NEW YORK (Reuters) -The Trump administration cannot use U.S. foreign policy interests to justify its detention of Columbia University student and pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, a judge ruled on Wednesday, but stopped short of ordering Khalil's immediate release. U.S. District Judge Michael Farbiarz in Newark, New Jersey, said his ruling would not take effect until Friday at 9:30 EDT (1330 GMT) to give the administration the chance to appeal. Farbiarz wrote that the administration was violating Khalil's right to free speech by detaining and trying to deport him under a little-used provision of U.S. immigration law granting the U.S. secretary of state the power to seek the deportation of any non-citizen whose presence in the country is deemed adverse to U.S. foreign policy interests. "The Petitioner's career and reputation are being damaged and his speech is being chilled," Farbiarz wrote. "This adds up to irreparable harm." The judge also barred the administration from deporting Khalil on the grounds that his presence was allegedly adverse to U.S. foreign policy. Neither the State Department nor the Justice Department, which represents the administration in court, immediately responded to requests for comment. Khalil's lawyers did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Khalil was arrested on March 8 after the State Department revoked his green card. He has since been held in immigration detention in Louisiana. Khalil was the first known foreign student to be arrested as part of Republican President Donald Trump's bid to deport foreign students who took part in pro-Palestinian protests that swept U.S. college campuses after Hamas' October 7, 2023, attack on Israel and Israel's subsequent military assault. The Hamas attack killed 1,195 people, according to Israeli tallies, and Israel's military campaign has killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza health ministry.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Los Angeles police impose curfew in downtown area for second day
A night-time curfew in a portion of protest-hit downtown Los Angeles will remain in effect for at least one more night, the Los Angeles Police Department announced on Wednesday. The curfew will run from 8 pm Wednesday to 6 am Thursday (0300 GMT to 1300 GMT Thursday). Mayor Karen Bass first imposed the measure on Tuesday and has indicated it could remain in place for several days. She said it was to stop vandalism and looting during protests against the expanding raids by federal agents on undocumented immigrants. Bass has stressed that the curfew area is tiny - amounting to less than 3 square kilometres in a city that spans some 1,300 square kilometres. Further protests against US President Donald Trump's immigration policies took place overnight in Los Angeles, remaining largely peaceful. Demonstrations of various sizes have also popped up in a slew of other places, including New York and Philadelphia. Dozens of protesters were arrested in the two East Coast cities on Tuesday night, with more rallies planned in the coming days. Los Angeles has seen days of demonstrations opposing Trump's hardline stance on migrants and recent deportation raids. In response, Trump mobilized 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 marines for deployment in Los Angeles, despite opposition from California Governor Gavin Newsom and LA Mayor Bass. The soldiers are arriving gradually; according to media reports, no marines have yet been seen in downtown LA. City leaders say Trump's moves are out of proportion to the protests and only inflaming tensions.
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Yahoo
All injured in Austrian school shooting now in stable condition
The 11 people injured in a deadly school shooting in the Austrian city of Graz are now in stable condition, authorities said on Wednesday. On Tuesday, a gunman opened fire at a secondary school in Graz before taking his own life, leaving a total of 11 people dead. According to reports, the 21-year-old suspected perpetrator, who was a former pupil, entered a classroom and intentionally targeted students. Nine of the 11 remain in intensive care units at various hospitals in the city, which is located about 150 kilometres south-west of Vienna, the company managing the hospitals said. A victim who had suffered a facial injury would require a follow-up operation, and another needed a knee operation, it added. Earlier, Graz police said that a non-functioning pipe bomb had been found during a search at the home of the deceased suspect. The gunman used two legally owned weapons to carry out the horrifying attack, according to Austrian authorities. His motive is not yet known. According to the police, a farewell letter and video from the attacker contained no clues. Austria is observing three days of national mourning following the deadly shooting and a minute's silence was observed across the country at 10 am (0800 GMT) on Wednesday. Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker called the incident a "national tragedy" in a post on X, as European leaders offered their condolences. Pope Leo XIV said in Rome on Wednesday that he was praying for the victims and their families. Graz, in south-eastern Austria, is home to around 300,000 people.