Inquiry after car hits train

The crossing was the site of another crash in April

An inquiry is underway after a car crashed into a train at an unguarded crossing - the second such incident this year.

On Tuesday afternoon a Mercedes collided with a Thames train running at the Shiplake crossing near Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire.

There were 51 people on the train, but neither the passengers nor driver were injured.

The incident mirrored another crash at the crossing in April when a mother and daughter in a Toyota were hit by a train - the women suffered only minor injuries.

The train was going over the level crossing and the car came on and hit the back of the train

Railtrack

The inquiry is investigating whether warning signals at the crossing were working at the time of the accident on Tuesday.

A spokesman for Thames trains said that because of the inquiry all train services between Twyford and Henley-On-Thames would be suspended.

He said a limited replacement bus service would be running between Twyford and Henley.

Similar accident

The 1606 BST Henley to Twyford service was going over the Shiplake crossing when the accident happened.

A navy blue Mercedes CLK 320 hit the side of the train after apparently failing to stop at the unmanned crossing.

A Railtrack spokesman said: "The train was going over the level crossing and the car came on and hit the back of the train."

On 22 April Maggie Edwards and her daughter Catrin were hit by a Thames train from Henley to Twyford.

The impact shunted their car about 60 feet along the line but the women escaped with only minor injuries.