A rail company has apologised after passengers had to wait for four hours in the cold for a replacement bus after a train hit an object on the railway line. A passenger has described the incident as "terrifying" and said they had to walk down the line in the dark and wait for hours when the train crashed into an object on the line near Craven Arms, Shropshire, at around 11pm on Sunday. She said the transport didn't get there until 3.30am and she didn't get back to Cardiff until 7.30am on Monday.
A spokesman for Transport for Wales said because the incident happened late on Sunday night sourcing alternative transport had been difficult. The passenger, who asked not to be named, said: "I was on my phone when we hit something on the line. All the lights went out and the carriage started to swerve. Then flames shot past the window and the carriage started to fill with smoke. I thought the train was going to come off the line completely.
"It was terrifying. The driver and the conductor on the train were fantastic and helped to get the passengers out of the train and onto the side of the track but then we had to walk in the dark to a place of safety at the closest crossing. It took four hours for the replacement bus to turn up and we were all cold with no food and nowhere to go to the toilet."
She that when the bus did arrive they had to wait at Hereford for 45 minutes while there was change of bus drivers and they didn't get back to Cardiff until 7.30am. Read more about the incident here.
A spokesman for Transport for Wales said that all 49 passengers on the train were "safely evacuated" and replacement road transport was arranged. He added: "Unfortunately due to the incident occurring late on a Sunday night there was limited replacement road transport available, regrettably resulting in delays getting our customers to their destination, for which we apologise.
"We understand this was a very distressing situation for those involved and would like to thank them for their patience while we dealt with the incident. Customers can apply for a refund of their journey using the dedicated delay repay section of our website.
"Disruption to services is expected to continue into Monday afternoon and we advise to check the latest travel information before starting their journey. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.”
British Transport Police have launched an investigation into the cause and had officers at the scene on Monday. A spokeswoman said: "“At just after 10.30pm on Sunday officers were called to a report of a fire on board a passenger train near Craven Arms station in Shropshire along with emergency service colleagues. Approximately 60 passengers were safely evacuated from the train and the fire extinguished. It is currently believed that the fire happened as a result of the train hitting a large object on the track. Inquiries into the incident are ongoing."
