Passengers rescued at Thetford as train hits deer
- Published
The Norwich to Camrbridge service (left) hit the deer on the track
Passengers had to be rescued after the train they were on hit a herd of deer and was damaged.
The 05:33 BST Greater Anglia service from Norwich to Cambridge struck the animals east of Thetford, Norfolk.
A train travelling in the opposite direction was halted and about 17 passengers were transferred from the stricken train.
A Greater Anglia spokesman said it was not yet clear how many deer had been hit or the extent of their injuries.
No-one on board the train was injured, he said.
Suzanne Docherty, a passenger on the rescue train, said ramps and ladders were used to transfer the passengers.
Ms Docherty, who was travelling from Ely in Cambridgeshire to Norwich, said her train was held at Thetford and then moved to the scene of the accident.
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She said it took about 25 minutes to get the passengers - one of whom was visually-impaired - and some bicycles on board.
The passengers were taken to another station where a replacement bus service had been arranged.
Greater Anglia spokesman Alan Neville said engineers were sent to assess the damage to the train.
Engineers are assessing the extent of the damage to the train
Passengers travelling between the two cities were being diverted via Stowmarket.
East Midlands Trains services between Nottingham and Norwich have also been affected.
Greater Anglia said on its website the line was reopened, external at about 10:00 BST but a number of its services and those of East Midlands Trains would be disrupted until about 12:00.