Leading figures of the British railway industry in Mid Wales and beyond have spoken on the ‘tragic’ train crash in North Powys.

At 7.29pm on Monday, 21 October, two Transport for Wales trains were involved in a low speed collision near Llanbrynmair in Powys.

One passenger died as a result of the accident, while 15 other people were taken to nearby hospitals to be treated for injuries, although police said their injuries are not believed to be life threatening or life changing.

Leading figures from across the British railway industry have commented on the incident, from government transport secretaries to union leaders and rail networks.

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UK Transport Secretary, Louise Haigh released a full statement which said: “My thoughts are with all those involved and their families. I also want to thank emergency services who responded so quickly last night and remain on the scene.

Safety on our railways is my absolute priority and we are working at pace with Transport for Wales and Network Wales to understand what happened and how we can better prevent it going forward.”

The written statement from Ken Skates, the Cabinet Secretary for Transport, read: "Our thoughts are with all those involved.

"The Cambrian Railway east of Machynlleth will be closed while specialist teams continue their investigations, and Transport for Wales urge passengers not to travel to this part of the network.

READ MORE: Powys train crash: Man dead and 15 injured in Llanbrynmair

"I am extremely grateful to the emergency services who attended the scene and helped our passengers and staff.

“The safety of our passengers and staff is, as always, our key priority. Transport for Wales are working closely with all agencies, including emergency services and Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB), to understand how this incident happened and they will have my full support."

Mick Lynch, General Secretary of the RMT Union, released a statement via social media that said: “This is a tragic incident and the thoughts of everyone at RMT are with the family and friends of passengers who died, and all the train crew and travelling public who were injured during the incident.”

Other unions added to the statements such as the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA), an independent union for the transport and travel trade industries.

TSSA General Secretary Maryam Eslamdoust said: “Safety is always the number one priority on our railways and therefore it will be vital to gain a detailed understanding of what happened in this case.

 “Our union is greatly saddened by any loss of life or injury on the rail network and we send our sympathy and solidarity to the families and friends of those involved in this incident.”