Rail lines blocked after train hits tractor trailer near Leominster - full details of train delays here

The Transport for Wales (TfW) train was not derailed but some passengers suffered minor injuries, according to British Transport Police (BTP).

Officers were called to a level crossing north of Leominster, near the Shropshire/Herefordshire border, at 10.40am on Thursday.

The West Midlands Ambulance Service said one man was airlifted to Hereford County Hospital and a woman was taken to the hospital by road ambulance.

“Fifteen further patients who were passengers on the train were assessed, and all were discharged at the scene,” a West Midlands Ambulance Service spokeswoman said.

“Nobody from the tractor required assessment.”

West Mercia Police and fire crews also attended the scene.

Disruption is expected until the end of the day, National Rail said, with all direct trains between the two cities currently cancelled.

All lines between the Hereford and Craven Arms stations are blocked and trains will not run between the two.

A TfW spokesman said: “The 08.30 Manchester Piccadilly-Cardiff Central service has hit an obstruction at a crossing between Ludlow and Leominster so all services on the Marches line are on stop.

“Ticket acceptance is in place with Northern, Avanti, GWR and CrossCountry. Replacement road transport is being put in place.”

The BTP said its inquiries into the lead-up to the incident are ongoing.

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.”