An Arriva Wales Train service from Rhymney to Barry has hit a tree and partially derailed near Bargoed.

Ten passengers and two staff were on the train, but there were no injuries.

Network Rail said the incident happened just before 06:30 GMT on Wednesday between Brithdir and Bargoed stations.

Services between Rhymney and Bargoed have been replaced with buses while a recovery operation and safety investigation is carried out.

"This was a minor derailment, where one bogey has come away from the track," said an Arriva Train Wales spokesperson.

"There was a small number of passengers onboard, and they are all perfectly okay."

The spokesperson said the service had been the first of the day from Rhymney to Barry in the Vale of Glamorgan.

Investigation underway
 
"We understand that because of the heavy rain there was a minor landslip that has brought the tree and foliage onto the track," explained the Arriva Trains spokesperson.

Trains have now started running again from Bargoed towards Cardiff, while buses are replacing services between Rhymney and Bargoed.

Network Rail, which is responsible for operating rail tracks, said it could be sometime before the line fully reopens.

"The train has to be moved, and that will depend on any damage to it or the tracks. The tracks will then have to be inspected and any repairs carried out," said a spokesperson for Network Rail.

"It is too early to say how long that will take."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-20910387
 

Refurbishment work at Reading station will mean trains travelling between London and Cheltenham Spa will travel at an average speed of less than 50mph.

From April the service will leave Paddington 12 minutes early but the original timetable will apply at the Gloucestershire end.

It means passengers will have to wait more than 20 minutes at Gloucester.

Network Rail apologised for the delays but said once complete, journeys would be much improved.

"The planned timetable change for April is a temporary measure owing to the works to remodel Reading station to unlock a bottleneck," a spokesman said.

'One of worst'
 
"Four platforms are being renovated and will be closed, with another four reopening, reducing the number of paths for trains along the route during this time.

"This means that trains from London Paddington to Cheltenham Spa have to remain for a number of minutes at Gloucester until a path is free," he added.

Barry Doe, a contributor to Rail magazine, said at the best of times the intercity service between the capital and Cheltenham was "one of the two worst" in the country.

He added the revised timetable would make the journey between the capital and Cheltenham Spa station nearly two-and-an-a-half hours.

"If you were travelling from London to Manchester instead you'd have arrived there and be walking into the city centre in two-and-a-quarter hours," he added.

Malvern link bridge fall: Attempted murder arrest
A woman has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after another woman was seriously injured in a fall from a railway bridge, police have said.

The victim fell from the A449 Worcester Road by Malvern Link station at 18:15 GMT on Wednesday.

The injured woman, aged in her 20s, was taken by ambulance to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham.

West Mercia Police said a woman in her 20s remains in custody at Worcester police station.

Police said members of the public pulled the woman who had fallen to safety and looked after her until she was taken by ambulance to hospital, where she remains in a serious condition.

'Acting suspiciously'
 
Det Insp Mark Loader said police were in the early stages of what was "already a complex investigation".

He said: "We particularly want to speak to anyone who was at Malvern Link Station at the time, and there were dozens of commuters on the platform, especially one man who was among those who came to the woman's aid and has not yet spoken to the police."

Police also want to hear from anyone who was walking or driving along Worcester Road between 18:00 and 18:15 GMT and saw two women "acting suspiciously on the railway bridge".

Rail services were briefly stopped on the Worcester to Hereford line.

Several thousands of pounds worth of damage has been caused after a large brick or concrete block was thrown from a bridge on to a busy train.

The object dented the roof of the London Paddington to Hereford train as it passed through Malvern in Worcestershire on Saturday evening.

British Transport Police (BTP^▸ (British Transport Police)) said it was "sheer luck" it did not smash the driver's windscreen or go through the carriage roof.

Witnesses are urged to contact police.

'Extremely foolish'
 
Det Sgt Jon Rawson, of BTP, said officers received a report of an object, believed to be a large brick or piece of concrete, being thrown at the 16:22 London Paddington to Hereford service at about 19:00 GMT on Saturday.

If the item had gone through the windscreen or roof, it would have almost certainly have caused serious injuries or even a fatality, he added.

"This was an extremely foolish and dangerous act, which resulted in a train being damaged and a lucky escape for passengers and rail staff on board what was a busy train," he said.

"Throwing objects of any kind at fast moving trains is an incredibly irresponsible thing to do and we have stepped up patrols in the area to try to catch those responsible."