Trains cancelled south of Shrewsbury after passenger service hits …

Transport for Wales confirmed one of its services was involved in the incident

The incident occurred between Leebotwood and Church Stretton at around 6am and involved a northbound freight train and a southbound Transport for Wales (TfW) passenger service which had left the county town at 5.45am.

A Network Rail spokesperson said: “We can confirm an incident close to Church Stretton station this morning, with all lines currently blocked between Shrewsbury and Hereford.

“The incident was reported at 0600 on Saturday 30 September, with a freight train stopping on the line due to an uncoupling.

“A subsequent passenger train has hit debris on the line, rupturing its fuel tank. Fuel has been spilled and a specialist cleaning team are en route to the site.

“Passengers on the affected service have since been safely removed off the train.” Nobody was injured in the incident.

A spokeswoman for TfW confirmed something did hit one of the operator’s trains, which did have passengers on board, just outside Church Stretton.

Speaking at midday, she said passengers were “de-trained a couple of hours ago” before carrying on with their journeys.

The incident has led to the closure of the Marches Line between Shrewsbury and Hereford, which only reopened yesterday after 17 days of work inside Dinmore Tunnel, south of Leominster.

National Rail Enquiries is telling passengers: “A broken down train between Hereford and Shrewsbury means that all lines are blocked. Trains between these stations are currently unable to run.

“Limited road transport is running between Hereford and Shrewsbury provided by Lakeside Coaches.”

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch has been notified of the incident and is monitoring events before deciding if there’s any action to take.

Disruption is expected until the end of the day.