RAIB says automated wheel-gripping hoses to discharge sand were blocked as train braked

An automated system that helps train wheels grip the tracks failed on one of the trains that crashed head-on in mid-Wales on 21 October, investigators have revealed.

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) said the westbound train involved in the collision in Talerddig, near Llanbrynmair, in Powys, was fitted with a system to discharge sand automatically on to the rails should the wheels slide when braking.