Car driver hurt in train collision

A teenager was flown to hospital with serious injuries after a train with nine passengers on board hit a car at a level crossing.

The collision happened at the unmanned Little Genoch level crossing near the village of Dunragit in Dumfries and Galloway, just before 2pm on Sunday.

An 18-year-old man, from Newton Stewart, was the driver and sole occupant of the Mitsubishi Shogun 4x4, which police said was extensively damaged in the crash. He was airlifted from the scene to the Southern General Hospital in Glasgow with serious injuries.

The driver of the train and one passenger were treated for shock, but the other eight passengers are not thought to have been injured.

ScotRail said the two-carriage train involved was the 11.42am Glasgow Central to Stranraer service. The passengers were taken to Galloway Community Hospital in Stranraer to be checked over. Ambulance crews and two fire appliances also attended the scene.

Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary said a joint investigation into the crash would be carried out with officers from British Transport Police.

A force spokesman said: "At this time the male driver of the vehicle has been removed from the scene by ambulance with what are described as serious injuries. An investigation will be carried out into what happened."

Police appealed for any witnesses to contact them on 0845 600 5701.

Rail services to and from Stranraer were disrupted. A ScotRail spokeswoman said: "We have arranged replacement transport on this route for the remainder of the day and apologise for the inconvenience while investigations continue. We would encourage customers to check scotrail.co.uk/disruption for the latest updates."

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch said it would be carrying out preliminary checks at the site to determine whether a full investigation is necessary.