The trains involved remain at the scene(Image: PA)

Wales train crash: Pictures show aftermath of fatal collision

by · Wales Online

A passenger in his 60s has died following a crash between two trains in Wales. British Transport Police (BTP) said a further 15 people were taken to hospital following the collision near Llanbrynmair in Powys shortly before 7pm on Monday night.

Their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening or life-changing. The dead man's next of kin have been informed. Live updates are here.

The trains, which were both Class 158s operated by Transport for Wales (TfW), were the 6.31pm service from Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth and the 7.09pm service from Machynlleth to Shrewsbury.

A passenger on one of the trains, Jonah Evans, 25, said the driver warned travellers what was about to happen, saying: "The driver ran in and sat on a chair and said 'brace yourselves, we're about to hit a train. Someone lost their teeth, cracked ribs. Because the driver told us it was happening, we could kind of get ready." Read his account here.

A passenger on the Shrewsbury-bound service, Anthony Hurford, told BBC Breakfast: "The word that keeps coming to my head is just 'brutal', really. Just going from, I don't know how fast we were going, maybe 40, 50, 60 miles an hour, to nothing in the blink of an eye.

"Somehow my body bent the leg of a table and ripped it off its bolts attached to the wall. Suddenly I was on the floor with my laptop strewn ahead of me wondering what the hell had happened. We tried to stop at the lights. At the top of the hill there's a signal that I guess would've been a passing place and for whatever reason the train wouldn't stop.

"There must've been 30/40 people from fire (service), there was British Transport Police who had come from Birmingham, there were three helicopters, people had come from north and south Wales as far as I'm aware. I was checked by three or four different medics."

The operator suspended all services on the separate Heart of Wales line on Tuesday "until further notice" due to "poor rail conditions". Leaves cause major disruption every autumn when they stick to damp rails and become compressed by train wheels. This creates a smooth, slippery layer similar to black ice on roads, reducing trains' grip.

Network Rail and TfW said: "We are working closely with other agencies, including emergency services, to understand how this incident happened and they will have our full support."

Transport Secretary Louise Haigh said: "Safety on our railways is my absolute priority and we are working at pace with Transport for Wales and Network Rail to understand what happened and how we can better prevent it going forward."

The Cambrian line east of Machynlleth will remain closed while specialist teams investigate the collision. For the latest Welsh news delivered to your inbox sign up to our newsletter

Network Rail and TfW said in a joint statement it was a "low-speed collision".(Image: PA)
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Investigation work has been carried out at the scene throughout the day(Image: PA)
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Part of the A470 has also been closed to allow work to be carried out at the track(Image: PA)
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The crash happened on the Cambrian line in a rural location with a single track(Image: PA)
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