Smoke reportedly entered train carriages
13:40, 30 Sep 2025Updated 13:42, 30 Sep 2025
A Great Western Railway train(Image: PA)
A train which was travelling through South Gloucestershire towards Bristol struck an e-scooter that was on the track.
Shortly before 8.30pm on Monday, September 29, the train running from London Paddington to Swansea struck an object near Chipping Sodbury.
The train stopped and the driver examined the front of the train to find an e-scooter which was on fire.
Train crew dealt with the incident and the e-scooter was eventually removed.
The train carried on to Bristol Parkway where it was returned into a depot for safety checks.
The line was reopened at 10.27pm and Great Western Railway (GWR) said that the British Transport Police are investigating the incident.
A witness who was on the train told Bristol Live: “I know the collision caused a fire because the train crew talked about smoke entering a carriage.
“They [the train crew] evacuated passengers from the first three carriages, moving them further back in the train for their safety.
“The line was closed while engineers came out to free the e-scooter from underneath the train. The driver had tried to do this by reversing the train, but this wasn’t successful.
“Eventually, the engineers arrived, retrieved the e-scooter and the train limped to Bristol Parkway, where it was taken out of service for safety reasons.
“The whole incident led to a delay of about 90 minutes. I believe some trains had to be rerouted via Bath.”
A GWR spokesperson said: “We can confirm last night’s 19.18 London Paddington to Swansea service struck an object on the line near Chipping Sodbury shortly before 20.30.
“The driver examined the train and found an e-scooter on fire, which train crew were able to deal with quickly.
“We were able to remove the e-scooter, allowing the train to proceed to Bristol Parkway, where it returned to the depot for safety checks.
“We’re grateful to customers for their patience and understanding as we dealt with the issue.”
GWR added that customers who were delayed by 15 minutes or more will be entitled to Delay Repay compensation.
British Transport Police have been contacted for comment.