train driver has been cut free from his cab after the service crashed into a footbridge, which had collapsed after being hit by a tipper truck.
A warning message was sent out, but the Nottingham to Norwich service was unable to stop in time at Barrow upon Soar, Leicestershire.
The driver, who was trapped for two and half hours, suffered leg injuries. The six passengers were unhurt.
Services have been affected and it is not known when the line will be clear.
A spokeswoman for East Midlands Trains said the crash happened at about 0633 GMT and was delaying services from Leicester to Loughborough and south from Nottingham.
It was also affecting services from Sheffield and Nottingham to London.
The spokeswoman said emergency services were at the scene along with Network Rail, but it was not clear how long it would take to clear the line.
A special train service is operating between Leicester and London St Pancras and replacement bus services are in operation between Loughborough and Leicester.
Leicestershire Police said the accident happened after an engineering works tipper truck hit the bridge. The truck driver was not seriously injured.
'Slow operation'
A Leicestershire Fire and Rescue spokesman said: "We had to get specialist rescue equipment to extricate him.
"We were working in a very confined space. It was a very slow and precise operation to get the driver out safely and not exaggerate the injuries he had."
A spokesman for Network Rail said: "At 6.30 this morning a lorry bumped into a pedestrian footbridge near Barrow upon Soar station, just north of Leicester, causing the footbridge to fall on to the tracks.
"An emergency stop message was sent to all trains in the area, but the 0613 Nottingham to Norwich service with six passengers on board was unable to stop and struck the bridge."
