It has been found that a collision involving a train which stopped at Abergavenny Station in 2025 was caused by human error, investigators have said.

Twelve Months ago, on May 22, a train travelling between Cardiff Central and Manchester Piccadilly collided with a trailer at a level crossing between Leominster and Ludlow less than an hour after it had departed the Monmouthshire town en route.

Now, an investigation by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) has found that the accident was caused by human error after the signaller gave permission to the the driver of a tractor to use the level crossing. It was revealed the signaller had forgotten about the presence of the oncoming train before the incident and did not check the block instrument before granting permission to the tractor.

The report stated the signaller had been dealing with a family emergency on the previous night and they had taken an 18-minute phone call relating to that personal matter two hours before the crash.

According to the investigators, this could have distracted the signaller and made them more tired. They were reported to have only had four hours sleep the night before. This was coupled with a “significant and unexpected” workload due to increased rail traffic in the area.

The train was travelling at around 80 miles per hour when the incident occurred at the Nordan Farm Level Crossing, which spans either side of the railway line. The train did not derail but significant damage was caused to the agricultural trailer and the tractor that was towing it.

Six passengers and one staff member aboard the Transport for Wales (TfW) service were treated for minor injuries.

There were no engineered safeguards at the level crossing to warn or protect any user of an oncoming train. Anybody using the level crossing is solely reliant on the signaller’s decision as to whether it is safe to cross.

RAIB discovered that Network Rail’s level crossing risk assessment did not account for the higher-than-normal amount of danger posed to users during intense seasonal use. The investigation found this was an underlying factor which contributed to the collision.

As a result, it has been recommended that the company responsible for maintaining the railway improves the effectiveness of its risk management process for level crossings and that it considers how it assists rail signallers in deciding whether a vehicle should be treated as ‘large’ or ‘slow moving’.

At the time of the incident, a 32-year-old man from Bromyard was arrested on suspicion of endangering life on the railway but was later released with no further action taken.

Several points were also identified for staff to help avoid this kind of incident in the future. They include complying with their company’s mobile phone policy, assessing their own level of fatigue before going to work, remembering the importance of available instruments and indicators and following the correct process for applying signal protection.

Network Rail has said it is considering the failings and recommendations identified by the report.