The rail industry has reacted to a train collision which has left one passenger dead and 15 others injured. The head-on crash occurred on Monday 21 October at around 19:30 between the Welsh villages of Talerddig and Llanbrynmair on the Cambrian line.
The trains involved were the 18:31 service from Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth and the 19.09 service from Machynlleth to Shrewsbury. Both were both Class 158s operated by Transport for Wales (TfW).
A joint statement from Network Rail and Transport for Wales released on Monday said: “At 7:29pm on Monday 21 October, two TfW trains were involved in a low-speed collision near Llanbrynmair in Powys, Mid Wales. Sadly, one passenger has passed away, and a number of other people are being treated for injuries at nearby hospitals. Our first thoughts are with the family and loved ones of the man who has lost his life, as well as all the other people involved in this incident.
“The Cambrian railway east of Machynlleth will be closed while specialist teams continue their investigations, and we urge passengers not to travel to this part of the network. We’re extremely grateful to the emergency services who attended the scene and helped our passengers and staff in challenging circumstances.
“We are working closely with other agencies, including emergency services, to understand how this incident happened and they will have our full support.”
Politicians have sent their condolences to those affected and reiterated the importance of rail safety.
Transport Secretary Louise Haigh said: “I’m incredibly sorry to hear one man has died and many others were injured in the train crash in Powys.
“My thoughts are with all of those involved, and their families.
“I also want to thank the emergency services who responded so quickly last night and remain on the scene.
“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.”
Montgomeryshire MP Steve Witherden commented: “Incredibly tragic news from Llanbrynmair this morning as one fatality has been confirmed overnight. My deepest condolences to the family.
“My thoughts are with them and the 15 people who have been taken to hospital with injuries not believed to be life-threatening. I am very grateful for the response from the emergency services and railway staff last night and today, my thanks to all at the scene.”
Reactions from the rail industry and unions have also been received this morning.
Richard Hines, HM Chief Inspector or Railways said: “My thoughts are with the family and friends of the man who sadly lost his life and al those involved in the terrible train collision incident that occurred near to Llanbrynmair, Powys, last night. Office of Rail and Road (ORR) Inspectors are attending the scene of the incident and will work closely with other agencies to established what happened.”
TSSA General Secretary Maryam Eslamdoust commented: “Safety is always the number one priority on our railways and therefore it will be vital to gain a detailed understanding of what happened in this case. Our union is greatly saddened by any loss of life or injury on the rail network and we send our sympathy and solidarity to the families and friends of those involved in this incident.”
Mick Lynch, RMT General Secretary, said: This is a tragic incident and the thoughts of everyone at RMT are with the family and friends of the passenger who died, and all the train crew and travelling public who were injured during the incident.”
There has been much speculation in the press around the cause of the accident. TfW had advised passengers on Monday that its services were running at reduced speeds through Dovey Junction station – which is on the same line – because previous trains reported the track was “extremely slippery”. An RAIB press statement said that its initial inspection of the track on approach to the point of collision found evidence that wheel/rail adhesion was relatively low, suggesting that the train may have entered into wheel slide when braking.
Martin Frobisher, Network Rail’s director of safety and engineering, commented: “We are working closely with the emergency services and the multi-agency team to fully understand the circumstances of what happened and why.
“Our immediate priority is to help support those impacted and to assist investigators in determining the cause of the crash. Such serious railway accidents are rare, and we are determined to make them rarer still.”
The last fatal collision on Britain’s railways was the Stonehaven derailment in August 2020, in which a passenger, driver, and conductor died after a ScotRail train hit a landslip and derailed.
Image credit: iStockphoto.com/ChrisHepburn
