A MAN miraculously escaped with only minor injuries when he was struck by a passenger train on a Hereford railway bridge on Monday evening.

The 16.33 commuter service from Manchester Piccadilly to Cardiff Central was crossing the Eign Viaduct at around 7pm when the accident happened.

Paramedics took the injured man to Hereford General Hospital where he was treated for a broken arm.

The driver of the train was badly shocked by the collision and was relieved from his duty. The train was taken back to Hereford Railway Station where it joined another service before continuing its journey.

The incident caused chaos to subsequent train times on Monday evening. Railtrack estimates around 25 services were delayed or disrupted.

"One was cancelled altogether, four were brought up short of their intended destinations and about 20 others were also affected," said Lou Tate, communications manager for Railtrack Great Western.

"It sounds as if this man had a very lucky escape but what he was actually doing on the track we don't know."