A car came off the road and crashed onto a railway track used by a Mid Wales tourist railway injuring a woman and promoting calls for safety barriers to be put up.

The car was the second vehicle to plunge off the road on to the Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway in a month.

Today worried officials running the popular tourist attraction appealed for a roadside barrier on the main A458 road.

They say it is vital to stop vehicles crashing off the road and on to the track before lives are lost.

They said if yesterday’s accident had happened when a train was passing the incident could have caused a fatality.

The silver coloured Peugeot 206 involved in yesterday’s incident left the road at 2am, plunging down an embankment and overturning beside the railway track.

A woman passenger in the car was hurt and taken to the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital by ambulance.

Police said today her injuries were not life-threatening.

Dyfed Powys Police spokesman Sharon Reynolds today said the male car driver was arrested at the scene on suspicion of drink driving.

Today Andrew Charman, spokesman for the Llanfair and Welshpool Light Railway said: “This is the second time a vehicle has crashed off the road at Sylfaen and onto the railway track 20ft down an embankment.

“Thankfully yesterday’s crash took place in the early hours of the morning so there were no trains running but if it had been during the day, this could have been a tragedy.

“We really do need a barrier at this point on the A458 before there is a fatal accident.

“We are really desperate to get the council to put up a barrier there. We have been calling for one for years.”

A month ago a 4×4 vehicle pulling a trailer came off the road at the same point and crashed on to the track used by the tourist railway.

On that occasion the track was blocked and railway bosses were forced to cancel some services while the debris was cleared. No-one was injured in that incident.

A Welsh Assembly spokesman said the Mid Wales Trunk Road Agency would be investigating the situation.

Nobody from the agency was available to comment this morning.

By Deborah Knox