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Man arrested after train hits tractor and trailer

Kate Justice
BBC Hereford & Worcester
Reporting fromLeominster
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 man has been arrested after a train hit a tractor and trailer on a level crossing in Herefordshire, leaving two people injured and rail services at a standstill.

One enger, a man, was airlifted to Hereford County Hospital, although his injuries were not life-threatening, West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) said.

A woman was also taken to hospital by ambulance following the crash near Leominster at about 10:45 BST, although she is not thought to be seriously hurt.

British Transport Police (BTP) said a 32-year-old man from Bromyard had been arrested on suspicion of endangering safety on the railway.

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

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

A man with short light brown hair and a gingery beard, wearing a pink North Face T-shirt. He is standing by a road lined with bushes and a grass verge and squinting in the sunlight.
Ashley Phoenix was on the train on his way to work when the crash happened

Ashley Phoenix, who was on the train at the time, said he was woken up by "shaking and vibrating" and added: "I thought it was going to come off the tracks. People [were] screaming and shouting.

"It's not something you expect to happen on your way to work."

He was among 56 engers on board the 08:30 train from Manchester Piccadilly heading to Cardiff when the crash happened at Nordan Farm, near Leominster, on Thursday morning.

Fellow enger Bill Sewell said he was working on his laptop when he heard a "massive bang and a load of stuff started flying past the windows".

He said he saw one man with a bloodied nose, but "by and large, I think everyone's OK".

"I think we're all a bit shaken, because it's one of those things you don't expect to happen when you're just [going] on a normal day to work by train," he added.

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

National Rail said all lines were blocked between Hereford and Craven Arms, in Shropshire, and services between those stations would be cancelled or changed, with disruption expected until the end of the day.

A TfW spokeswoman urged people to check before travelling and said tickets would be accepted by other operators.

A spokesperson for BTP said inquiries were ongoing to better understand the circumstances leading up to the crash.

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

The facility is a -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 detected 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 on an extra section of line but the braking system failed.

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

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

Update 22 April 2025: This article was amended to clarify the status of the investigation into the October 2024 crash

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