Trains


are
expected
to
start
running
again
on
the
Cambrian
line
between
Machynlleth
and
Shrewsbury
on
Monday.

Buses
have
been
replacing
trains
since
last
Monday,
when
two
Transport
for
Wales
trains
collided
head-on
near
Talerddig
passing
loop.

One
man
died
and
fifteen
other
passengers
were
injured,
four
of
them
seriously,
when
a
westbound
train
overran
the
loop
and
collided
with
an
eastbound
train.
It
has
been
reported
that
the
man
who
lost
his
life
had
suffered
a
heart
attack.

Initial
investigations
by
the
Rail
Accident
Investigation
Branch
have
revealed
that
rail
adhesion
was
‘relatively
low’,
leading
to
speculation
that
the
down
train
could
not
be
stopped
in
the
loop
but
slid
beyond
it.

It
has
also
been
reported
that
the
driver
of
the
train
left
the
cab
in
the
last
few
seconds,
and
warned
passengers
to
brace
themselves
because
a
collision
was
imminent.

Network
Rail
has
been
working
to
separate
and
remove
the
damaged
trains.

Simultaneously,
Network
Rail
engineers
have
been
carrying
out
repairs,
maintenance
and
safety
inspections.

Test
trains
will
run
through
the
area
to
make
sure
everything
is
operating
normally
before
passenger
services
restart
on
Monday,
but
Network
Rail
has
warned
there
could
still
be
some
disruption
for
a
while.

Network
Rail’s
Wales
&
Borders
route
director
Nick
Millington
said:
‘Monday
night’s
tragic
events
will
forever
be
etched
in
my
memory
and
my
thoughts
remain
with
all
those
affected.
Thankfully,
incidents
like
this
are
extremely
rare
on
the
railway
network.
We
continue
to
operate
one
of
the
safest
railway
networks
in
Europe.

‘Our
engineers
have
been
on
site
throughout
and
have
conducted
very
thorough
safety
checks
and
we
will
run
test
trains
through
the
area.

‘I
am
grateful
to
the
local
community
who
have
been
very
accommodating
throughout
this
last
week
while
we
have
been
managing
this
incident.

‘I
would
also
like
to
thank
passengers
for
their
patience,
understanding
and
support
during
the
last
few
days
as
our
teams
have
worked
tirelessly
to
restore
the
railway
as
quickly
as
they
could.’

TfW
chief
operating
officer
Jan
Chaudhry
van
der
Velde
added:
‘The
railways
in
Wales
have
a
very
good
safety
record,
so
when
serious
incidents
like
this
happen,
we
at
TfW,
together
with
our
partners
at
Network
Rail,
are
determined
to
get
to
the
bottom
of
what
caused
it.
For
that
reason,
we
are
co-operating
fully
with
the
authorities
investigating
the
collision,
and
in
particular,
the
Rail
Accident
Investigation
Branch. 

‘Our
condolences
go
to
the
family
of
the
passenger
who
passed
away,
and
we
hope
that
those
passengers
and
staff
members
injured
in
the
collision
make
a
speedy
recovery.’