A passenger has described seeing two fireballs after her train hit an object on the track and derailed. The incident involved the 8.43pm Crewe to Cardiff Central train, that had been diverted via Chester, and happened near Craven Arms at around 11pm on Sunday (May 23). Pictures from the scene show fire underneath the carriages after the collision.
The passenger said they had to wait more than four hours as a replacement bus was sourced, and they still hadn’t made it back to Cardiff by 7am on Monday morning. She said: “I was in the front carriage and the lights went out and we derailed and two fireballs were on both sides of the window. It then caught fire from underneath and when we stopped, smoke started to come in and we got off.
“We were incredibly lucky. The conductor was brilliant but the incident happened around 11pm but we didn’t get a bus until 3:30am. No food, no toilet and no accommodation while we waited outside.”
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Passengers have been warned of delays on the route for most of Monday. Trains between Hereford and Shrewsbury have been suspended and replaced with buses “until the end of the day”, which impacts a number services from Cardiff, Carmarthen, Llanelli, Maesteg and Holyhead. The A49 in Shropshire was closed in both directions at the Craven Arms, but has since reopened.
On Twitter, one passenger shared a photo of a fire under a train and said “we are safe”. The National Rail Enquiries website says: “An operational incident between Hereford and Shrewsbury means all lines are blocked. Trains running between these stations will be revised or cancelled. Disruption is expected until the end of the day.”
It says the operator affected is Transport for Wales and lists the routes affected as between Cardiff Central and Crewe / Holyhead / Chester / Shrewsbury / Manchester Piccadilly, and between Carmarthen / Milford Haven and Manchester Piccadilly, and between Llanelli / Maesteg and Holyhead.
A spokesperson for Transport for Wales said: “The 20:43 Crewe to Cardiff Central service was terminated after making contact with an object near Craven Arms. All 49 passengers on board were safely evacuated and replacement road transport was arranged. Disruption to services is expected to continue into Monday afternoon and passengers are advised to check the latest travel information before starting their journey. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.” Scroll down for live updates:
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