Police attend the scene after a light aircraft crashed onto the railway line at Colwich Junction, Staffordshire _200
Rail operator London Midland laid on replacement buses between Crewe and Rugby and between Wolverhampton and Crewe.
A London Midland spokesman said the diversions would remain in place for the rest of the day, and could have a knock-on effect into today.
At least three people are known to have died in the air crash, and police said they could not rule out finding more bodies in the wreck of the single-engine plane.
A British Transport Police spokesman said: “Examination of the scene will continue and a further fatality or fatalities cannot be ruled out at this stage.”
Experienced pilot Alan Matthews was named last night as one of the victims. His wife, Jenny, confirmed the 59-year-old was piloting the light aircraft.
She said her husband had 19 years’ flying experience and that the family were still in shock over what had happened to the aircraft.
Eyewitness Derek Higgott, 49, who lives in Back Lane, described seeing it plummet to the ground.
He said: “I was working in my garden. I heard the plane, I looked up, and suddenly it just turned and went straight down.
‘‘There was a huge thud and black smoke. You could feel the vibration from it and a huge flock of birds all took off.”
Emergency services rushed to the scene but there was nothing they could do to help the occupants of the aircraft.
