Newport: Train window blowout shocks rail passengers

The window shattered on to seats that had been cordoned off after passengers alerted train staff to a loose seal

A train window has been "sucked out" and shattered by an oncoming train, leaving cordoned-off seats strewn with shards of glass.

Great Western Railway (GWR) said a seal was damaged by an object as the Southampton to Cardiff train arrived in Newport on Wednesday morning.

Passengers described a loud bang and glass going "everywhere."

The operator said it was working with rail safety investigators and no-one was seriously hurt.

GWR thanked "quick-thinking staff", including one who moved an older woman away from the window before it shattered.

Passenger Roger Luke said he noticed a rubber seal knocking near the window as the train left the Severn Tunnel coming into Wales.

• Services disrupted after fire breaks out on train

• Train driven too fast after 123mph trolley crash

When another train passed in the opposite direction, he said it seemed to create a vacuum that sucked the window out.

"The bang was unbelievable," said Mr Luke, who was travelling with his family from Maesteg in Bridgend county.

The bang of the train window was "unbelievable" said passenger Roger Luke

Glass was strewn across a number of seats that had been taped off by a staff member.

Sarah Luke Gardener and her husband Peter Gardener, from Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, said they alerted staff when they saw the sealant from the window coming away.

Sarah said: "It was quite scary. I originally thought the flapping was a branch in the tunnel. I went to inform the guard, she was very good and started taping off the area."

All passengers were moved away before the other train came past, she added, before the window "just shattered with a loud bang, glass literally everywhere".

Seats near the window with the damaged seal were cordoned off before the window shattered

GWR apologised to passengers, added: "We are grateful for the quick thinking and actions of our on-board colleagues," adding that it was now working with the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB).

The RAIB said: "We are reviewing evidence gathered by the train operator and a decision on what future action we may wish to take will be made in the coming days."