The family of a man who died after the train he was travelling in collided with another train have thanked people for “kind messages and support”, and asked for privacy.

Tudor Evans, 66, from Capel Dewi in Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, died following the crash near Llanbrynmair, Powys, on Monday evening.

He had been travelling home from a holiday in Italy when the crash happened.

Four others were seriously injured in the crash and a further 11 required hospital treatment, according to the Rail Accident Investigations Branch (RAIB).

Mr Evans was on the 18:31 westbound service from Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth on Monday evening when it hit a stationary train heading from Machynlleth, Powys, to Shrewsbury.

Network Rail said the line will remain shut until Friday at the earliest, as engineers look at “immediate lessons” to stop any future crashes before reopening.

Emergency services remained at the scene on Thursday and the two trains have now been separated as the investigation begins to remove the affected trains.

Mr Evans’ friend, Iestyn Leyshon, spoke of his pain that he and his wife had “just begun to travel after years of work and then this tragedy happens”.

Mr Leyshon told the Newyddion S4C app he was “extremely saddened” to hear of his death.

He had known Mr Evans for about 20 years but got to know him well over the past four years through their shared passion for mountain biking,

“We’ll never see him on his bike on the Elenydd [an upland area of mid Wales] again,” he added.

A driver of one of the trains was also “quite badly injured” in the crash and taken to hospital in Shrewsbury, while a conductor suffered a fracture, said Transport for Wales’ chief operating officer Jan Chaudhry-Van Der Velde.

He added that both the injured driver and conductor have received medical care and “are on the road to recovery.”

The crash took place on the Cambrian line on a single track, close to a passing loop where opposite travelling trains can pass each other.

The RAIB deployed a team of inspectors to the site of the crash and on initial inspection, found that the train may have entered into wheel slide when braking.

Network Rail’s route director, Nick Millington, said the investigation was “complex” and was “unable to speculate on if leaves on the tracks contributed to the crash.”

Network Rail and TfW said the Cambrian line between Machynlleth and Shrewsbury will remain closed until at least the end of Friday.