The grandmother-of-eleven, from Colemere Drive, Wellington, has spent the last four years suing Central Trains for negligence and was today celebrating victory.

The train company denied responsibility for the accident but was found to be 75 per cent to blame in a trial at Telford County Court.

It was ordered to pay Mrs Abel £4,500 in compensation and bosses today pledged to see if lessons needed to be learned.

Mrs Abel was found to be 25 per cent to blame because warning alarms sounded on the train before the doors closed, but she claimed she did not hear them.

Mrs Abel had been helping a disabled friend on to the train and was leaning in to the carriage from the platform at Telford Station to kiss her goodbye when the accident happened on August 22, 2002.

The former financial adviser suffered a neck injury which she says forced  her to retire early.

She said: “I really thought I was going to be dragged along the station – it was horrifying.”

She said she managed to ease the doors open and pull her head out and the train then left the station.

Central Trains spokesman Ged Burgess said: “Safety is our top priority at Central Trains and we have 42 million passenger journeys a year.

“Most people have an uneventful journey and that’s why we were very concerned about Mrs Abel.”