Thousands face travel delays after two die in plane crash near railway lines

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/jan/02/plane-crash-west-coast-mainline

A light plane crashed near the west coast main line in Staffordshire today, forcing the suspension of services on one of the busiest rail networks in the country and leading to delays that are likely to spill over into the weekend.

Two people died when the single-engine aircraft came down at Colwich Junction, between Rugeley and Stafford, after colliding with overhead power lines and bursting into flames, narrowly missing a nearby housing estate. Police said they could not rule out finding more bodies in the wreckage.

With debris from the crash spread across the tracks, and officers still examining the wreckage , the accident caused delays for thousands of rail travellers.

A Network Rail spokesman said all services through the heart of England between Rugby and Stafford would be suspended until Saturday at the earliest as emergency services faced a "race against time".

Services between London and Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow were most severely affected.

The spokesman said: "Overhead electric equipment was brought down and there is debris in the vicinity of the track. Emergency services are securing the site and Network Rail awaits clearance before repairs can be made."

Where possible, alternative routes would be used and passengers should check with train operators. Virgin Trains said it was difficult to forecast how long the delays would last.

As officers worked to remove debris from the tracks, nearby residents described seeing the aircraft crash into a field between two rail tracks, narrowly missing a street of 14 houses.

Michael Wareham, from the village of Colwich, said he called emergency services after the plane crashed a few hundred yards from his home. "I saw it flying over and I went into the back garden and saw the aircraft. I thought 'this is a bit low'. I thought, it's not going to pull out of there, and then it vanished from sight, and I heard this hard thump and saw a huge plume of black smoke coming up from the ground.

"I knew as I ran out of my house to see what had happened that there would be no survivors. A light aircraft like that would never have survived that fall. He missed the last house by only 50 yards."

Paramedics were at the scene within three minutes, according to West Midlands ambulance service. "Sadly, there was nothing that could be done."

The aircraft was thought to be a Piper Cherokee, registered to a 59-year-old man from Walsall in the West Midlands.

Derek Higgott, 49, said he was working in his garden when the plane came down. "I heard the plane, I looked up, and suddenly it just turned and went straight down like a stunt plane. There was a huge thud and black smoke. You could feel the vibration from it."

Kath Wylie, 52, said she was sitting in her lounge when she heard a high-pitched whirring noise. "There was an almighty crash. The house shook. I shot up and shouted to my partner, 'There's been a train crash.''' She said she could see smoke billowing from the site, which is at the junction of two railway lines. "All I could see was fire and smoke. There were people running over, members of the public, all on their phones calling the police."

At Euston station in London, Hazel Salim, 67, from Kirkham, said: "I was on the 13.22 to Glasgow central and about to leave when we were asked to get off the train because of an accident. At first we were sent to King's Cross and told to take a train to Sheffield, but when we arrived they sent us back, so now we're waiting at Euston."

Virgin services were being diverted via Birmingham and Wolverhampton, adding 40 minutes to journey times.

A spokesman said Virgin passengers could use their tickets to travel with other train operators.

London Midland, which runs trains from Birmingham to Liverpool and Crewe to Euston, suspended services around the affected area. Replacement bus services were running between Crewe and Rugby and between Wolverhampton and Crewe.