By Neve Gordon-Farleigh & Andrew Sinclair
BBC News, Norfolk
One person has been left with minor injuries after a passenger train struck a large tree on the track and derailed.
The East Midlands service partly came off the rails between Thetford and Harling Road in Norfolk on Tuesday evening, on its way to Norwich.
An engineer at the scene told the BBC that everyone on board had a “very, very lucky escape”.
National Rail said disruption was expected until the end of Wednesday, with travellers unable to use the line.
Thirty one passengers were on the service, which started in Liverpool on Tuesday afternoon.
Police, ambulance and fire crews were called to the scene in south-west Norfolk at about 21:15 GMT.
Network Rail said onward travel was arranged following the crash, with passengers arriving in Norwich by 01:00 on Wednesday.
It said the injured passenger was assessed with a minor hip injury and was able to “safely” board the recovery train.
In a statement, East Midlands Railway said the 15:51 service from Liverpool Lime Street “struck a tree on the track near Thetford station causing the leading carriage to partly derail”.
It said the carriage remained upright, with all customers and staff “safely evacuated from the train”.
“There is damage to the track which will be fully evaluated once the train is moved,” the company added.
“At this stage we do not expect that any services will be able to operate between Ely and Norwich on Wednesday while repairs are carried out.”
Engineers examining the scene on Wednesday morning said the wheels were badly damaged in the crash, which meant the train would be difficult to move.
Several staff looked at the front of the train and shook their heads in disbelief. One said everyone onboard had a “very, very lucky escape”.
An East of England Ambulance Service spokesperson said two ambulances, four ambulance officer vehicles, the Hazardous Area Response Team and a response car from the East Anglian Air Ambulance were sent to the scene.
“One passenger from the train was assessed for minor injuries and did not require transportation to hospital,” they said.
Rail Accident Investigation Branch inspectors have been sent to the site to gather evidence.
They will carry out a preliminary examination before deciding whether an investigation should be launched.
A spokesperson for operator Greater Anglia, which also uses the line, said: “A train operated by another train company has derailed between Thetford and Harling Road – all lines are blocked.
“At present, we have no estimate of when the line will reopen – do not travel between Norwich and Ely as train services running through these stations have been cancelled or revised.”
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