As reported by The Press, a TransPennine Express train travelling north was involved in the collision at around 6.30pm on Wednesday, March 13, just outside Northallerton.
A second southbound train was also damaged in the incident.
Rail operators today (Thursday, March 14) confirmed that the incident involved an animal, suspected to be a deer, that had got onto the lines.
Passengers reported hearing a loud rattle that shook the train, breaking windows in multiple carriages, shortly before the service slowed to a halt.
A spokesperson for TransPennine Express said: “Shortly after 6.30pm on Wednesday, March 13, a service travelling from Liverpool Lime Street to Newcastle collided with an animal on the line, near to Northallerton, and sustained significant damage.
“There were no reported injuries to any customers or staff on-board the service, but the train was too badly damaged to be moved.
“At around 11.15pm all passengers were safely transferred to a Cross Country service to continue their journeys.
“Engineers attended the scene and completed initial repairs which enabled the train to be moved from the line just after 12.47am on Thursday 14 March.”
Passengers were told that the TransPennine train was ‘irretrievably broken’ after the impact damaged an air pipe, severing power to integral systems on the train and locking the brakes in place.
One passenger, Rachel Goddard of Intandem Communications, told The Press: “It was a difficult situation and the TransPennine crew handled it extremely well. We were all kept well informed, with as much information as they had, and they were very careful to make sure we got off our train and on to our rescue train safely.
“As a result, all the passengers were calm and although it was frustrating to be so delayed, what could have been a nightmare turned out to be a relatively positive experience.”
Attempts to evacuate the train began at around 10pm, more than three hours after the initial impact, with customers having to traverse ladders and walk across the tracks before they could board a rescue train. Assistance was offered to passengers with reduced mobility.
The rescue train, operated by CrossCountry, dropped the first batch of customers in Darlington shortly before midnight that evening and arrived at its final destination, Newcastle, in the early hours.
Passengers on board were quick to praise the efforts of both the TPE team and National Rail volunteers, several of whom stepped up on their commute home to offer support.
A spokesperson for British Transport Police said: “Officers were called to the line near Northallerton at around 6.51pm yesterday (March 13) following reports of a train striking something. Officers attended and found that an animal had been struck by a train.”
For anyone impacted by the delays, further details on how to claim compensation can be found through the Transpennine, LNER, and CrossCountry websites with other services operating their own schemes.
