Rail disruption between Shrewsbury and Birmingham as freight train derails near Wolverhampton

At around 8.30 pm on Tuesday, 5 May, one wagon of a freight train derailed at low-speed, causing damage to the track and overhead power lines. There were no injuries, the derailed wagon remained upright, and no other trains were involved. 

The complexities of removing the derailed wagon and making the significant repairs means disruption will last until the end of today, Wednesday 6 May, and most likely into Thursday 7 May. Passengers should check before they travel for the latest information until the railway has fully reopened.

The derailment means there are no trains running between Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury, but West Midlands Railway is running a shuttle service between Shrewsbury and Telford. Transport for Wales (TfW) is unable to operate its service to and from Birmingham Airport, with all journeys starting and ending at Shrewsbury. TfW-organised buses will run between Shrewsbury and Wolverhampton to help keep passengers moving.

The line between Wolverhampton and Stafford is open but may be subject to some changes to services.

Adam Checkley, Network Rail's Central route infrastructure director, said: "This was a low-speed derailment involving one wagon of a freight train, but it has still caused significant disruption to passengers and extensive damage to the track and overhead power lines.

"Our priority is to assess the damage, make repairs as quickly and safely as possible, and reopen the railway as soon as we can.

"I want to thank everyone for their patience while we do this and would urge anyone planning to travel through Wolverhampton, and especially to or from Shrewsbury, to check before they travel for the latest information."

Network Rail is working closely with train operators to keep passengers moving, and with the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) to understand the cause of the derailment.

Rail Replacement

To keep passengers moving, a fleet of rail replacement buses has been deployed to bridge the gap between the two stations. Travellers heading towards Shrewsbury from Birmingham New Street are being instructed to alight at Wolverhampton to board a replacement bus to Telford Central, where they can then resume their journey by rail on an amended timetable.

Those travelling in the opposite direction towards Birmingham should change at Telford Central for a bus to Wolverhampton before reconnecting with train services.

In an effort to ease the impact on passengers, ticket acceptance is currently in place. Tickets are being honoured at no extra cost on London Northwestern and West Midlands Railway services between Wolverhampton and Birmingham New Street. Additionally, replacement bus services provided by Stagecoach are accepting rail tickets between Telford Central and Wolverhampton until further notice.

Network Rail and train operators are advising all passengers to check their journey details online before heading to the station, as many services may only be running for a portion of their scheduled route. Engineers remain on the scene to oversee the re-railing of the freight carriage and to assess the full extent of the damage to the infrastructure.