Marcus' Model Railway Journey

22 October 2024



Slippery rails cause disruption to trains across Wales

Transport for Wales service at Hereford

Transport for Wales is urging passengers to plan ahead, as slippery rails caused by the autumn leaf-fall season is causing delays across the network.

The lines affected are Hereford – Abergavenny, Shrewsbury – Swansea, Chester – Wrexham General, Bidston – Wrexham Central and Llandudno Junction – Blaenau Ffestiniog.

The Heart of Wales is currently closed until further notice, with a number of bus operators on standby on the other routes should cancellations need to be made.

Trains may be cancelled or delayed by up to 60 minutes. Disruption is expected until the end of the day.

The incident happened between Shrewsbury and Machynlleth in Mid Wales at about 7.30pm

Emergency services remained at the scene on Tuesday morning

The scene of the collision

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) deployed a team of inspectors to the site of the crash in Llanbrynmair, in Powys, last night.

This was an initial deployment, and once the site is inspected, decisions will be made on the need for further resources.

The primary aim of the RAIB team is to gather evidence and work through the crash site, and an update is expected shortly.

The RAIB is a British government agency that independently investigates rail accidents in the United Kingdom in order to find a cause, not to lay blame.

In the initial aftermath of the crash, the RAIB inspectors will be on site to interview all witnesses, examine the trains and tracks and gather all digital evidence, such as CCTV if it exists on the trains.

There should be “on train data recorders” fitted to the trains involved - they are like a “black box” and would gather anything that had been happening.

After an incident, the data can be downloaded and analysed.

The RAIB will then be trying to determine what caused the accident and would then make recommendations.

Generally speaking, the RAIB would aim to complete an investigation within a year of the occurrence.