A train has collided with a tractor pulling an agricultural trailer on a level crossing, leaving multiple people injured.
Emergency services including paramedics and the air ambulance were scrambled to the scene near Leominster, Herefordshire, shortly after 10:45am.
Seventeen people have been hurt in the incident at Nordan Farm on board the Manchester to Cardiff service, consisting of five carriages.
Fortunately the train, which was carrying 66 passengers, was not derailed, and the tractor driver was uninjured.
One man was airlifted to hospital while a woman was taken to hospital by ambulance. Fifteen other people were given treatment at the scene.
Rail services between Hereford and Craven Arms have been suspended after the 8:30 train from Manchester Piccadilly struck the vehicle on the crossing between Ludlow and Leominster.
National Rail has said all lines are blocked in the area and services between Hereford and Craven Arms are expected to be cancelled or altered until the end of the day.
West Mercia Police, British Transport Police, West Midlands Ambulance Service, the Air Ambulance and Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service have all attended the incident.
Fire engines from seven different stations rushed to the scene. An investigation into the cause of the crash is underway.
A train has collided with a tractor on a level crossing, leaving multiple people injured near Leominster
Emergency services including paramedics and the air ambulance were scrambled to the scene near Leominster, Herefordshire, shortly after 10:45am
Fortunately the train, which was carrying 66 passengers, was not derailed, but the tractor’s trailer was all but destroyed
Pictures show the front of the train next to a severely damaged tractor trailer on the line.
The level crossing itself is only used by agricultural vehicles and consists of a farm track.
Dozens of emergency vehicles remain at the scene into the afternoon.
One onlooker said: ‘It looks like the driver rang the phone for the signaller and he said it was fine to cross. But then a train came and hit him.
‘It was just a trailer full of silage, grass and what not. There’s a lot of ground around there and they have been lugging grass off there.’
Another local resident added: ‘I’ll be amazed if nobody has been more seriously injured as it looked nasty. The place has been swarming with emergency services all afternoon.
‘A rail replacement bus came along to transport the rest of the passengers. Some looked shaken up, but they were OK.’
Transport for Wales is organising replacement bus services to assist passengers at Newport, Hereford and Shrewsbury.
Two ambulances, five paramedic officers, a Hazardous Area Response Team and the Midlands Air Ambulance were sent to the scene.
A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokeswoman said: ‘On arrival crews found a man who was a passenger on the train, they treated him for non-life threatening injuries before conveying him by air ambulance to Hereford County Hospital.
‘A woman, was also treated for injuries not believed to be serious and conveyed by land ambulance to Hereford County Hospital.
’15 further patients who were passengers on the train were assessed, and all were discharged at the scene.
‘Nobody from the tractor required assessment.’
Aerial photographs show how the trailer was struck by the train and dragged along the tracks
The five-carriage train was left stuck on the railway while passengers were evacuated
Passengers from the train are taken to a coach to complete their journey
Staff were on hand with snacks and water bottles for the passengers who had been on the train
Rail services between Hereford and Craven Arms have been suspended after the 8:30 train from Manchester Piccadilly struck the vehicle on the crossing between Ludlow and Leominster (Pictured: Leominster station)
A spokesperson for Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service said: ‘Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service crews from Hereford, Malvern, Redditch, Wyre Forest, Leintwardine, Tenbury Wells and Leominster Fire Stations were called at 10:52 on 22 May to an incident with a train, consisting of five carriages and carrying 66 people in collision with an agricultural trailer unit near Orleton.
‘Six people have been handed over to the care of the ambulance service with minor injuries.
‘Police are also in attendance, as are Network Rail.
‘There is no fire and the train was not derailed but there will be some disruption to the line.’
A spokesperson for British Transport Police said: ‘British Transport Police were called to a level crossing north of Leominster, Herefordshire, at 10.40am today (22 May) following reports that a train had struck a tractor and trailer.
‘Officers are in attendance, alongside officers from West Merica Police, paramedics and fire service.
‘Currently six individuals are being assessed by paramedics with injuries that are not thought to be serious.
‘Enquiries are ongoing into the full circumstances leading up to the incident.’
A spokesperson for West Midlands Ambulance Service said: ‘We were called to an incident on the railway track at Nordan Farm, Leominster at 10.46am.
‘We currently have an ambulance, five paramedic officers, the Midlands Air Ambulance from Strensham at the scene.’
A Transport for Wales spokesperson said: ‘Due to a train striking a vehicle at Leominster all lines are on stop in the area, emergency road transport has been requested and is being sourced. Disruption is expected to continue into this evening.’
A spokesperson for National Rail said: ‘The emergency services are dealing with an incident involving a train hitting an obstruction on the line between Hereford and Craven Arms, as a result all lines are blocked.
‘Trains are unable to run between these stations will be cancelled or revised. Disruption is expected until the end of the day.’
A spokesperson for the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) said: ‘The RAIB has sent a team of inspectors to Leominster in Herefordshire who are at the site of a collision between a passenger train and an agricultural trailer at a user worked level crossing.
‘Our inspectors will gather evidence as part of the process of conducting a preliminary examination and a decision on whether an investigation will be launched will be taken in the coming days.’
