Train company announces when Shrewsbury to Birmingham services will return following fatal crash in Mid Wales

Network Rail said it expects the Cambrian line to open for normal services from Monday.

It comes after one man was killed and 15 other people were injured when two trains crashed near Llanbrynmair in Mid Wales on Monday evening. The man who died was Tudor Evans, aged 66 and from Aberystwyth.

Network Rail said investigation teams have now completed their on-site investigation.

This allowed Transport for Wales (TfW) technicians to enter the accident scene and separate the two damaged trains, which are currently being removed from the site.

At the same time, Network Rail engineers have been carrying out repairs, maintenance and a range of checks and safety inspections.

A statement from Network Rail sought to reassure the public about the line: “Safety systems on the trains using the line continue to be regularly checked and inspected.

“Test trains will run through the area to ensure everything is functioning normally before the start of passenger services on Monday.”

But the incident could still affect train services in the short term and passengers should continue to check before traveling.

Nick Millington, Wales & Borders route director for Network Rail said: “The tragic events of Monday evening will be forever etched in my memory and my thoughts remain with all those affected.

“Fortunately, these types of incidents are extremely rare on the rail network. We continue to operate one of the safest rail networks in Europe.

“Our engineers have been on site throughout and have carried out very thorough safety checks and we will be running test trains through the area.

“I am grateful to the local community who have been very accommodating over the past week as we managed this incident.

“I would also like to thank passengers for their patience, understanding and support over the last few days as our teams have worked tirelessly to restore the railway as quickly as possible.”

Jan Chaudhry van der Velde, Chief Operating Officer of TfW, said: “Wales railways have a very good safety record, so when serious incidents like this occur we at TfW, together with our partners at Network Rail, determined to get to the bottom of what caused it.

“We are therefore cooperating fully with the authorities investigating the collision, and in particular the Rail Accident Investigation Branch.

“We have been working hard to safely remove the trains from the accident scene and carry out full safety checks and testing before the line reopens to passenger trains.

“Our condolences go out to the family of the passenger who died, and we hope that the passengers and staff injured in the collision make a speedy recovery.”

Network Rail said that due to “operational challenges” following the incident, no TfW services will run between Shrewsbury and Birmingham International this Saturday or Sunday.

It confirmed that ticket acceptance has been agreed with West Midlands Railways on the route, but added that people are advised to use alternative routes where possible.