A train driver and his conductor were seriously injured when their train derailed at the Pietermaritzburg train station on Tuesday, said KwaZulu-Natal paramedics.

"A goods train has derailed, the driver and the conductor are in a serious condition," said ER24 spokesperson Jeff Wicks.

He said the two men were the only people on the train at the time.

They were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

The cause of the accident was not yet known and all railway lines in the area would be affected until the line was cleared, said Wicks. - Sapa