cbd drama as taxi and police car crash

Two pedestrians were injured and a cabbie was trapped in his taxi after a collision with a police van at a busy intersection in Sydney's CBD.

It took firefighters about 40 minutes to free the taxi driver from the wreckage.

The police van was travelling north along Pitt Street when it was involved in a collision with the taxi heading east along Park Street about 1pm, police said.

The officers were on their way to an urgent job and their van's siren and lights were operating.

Both vehicles mounted the kerb outside a fast-food restaurant, but police said it was unclear which vehicle struck the pedestrians, both women.

A lunch-time crowd gathered at the scene as police cordoned off a section of Pitt Street.

A police spokesman said the pedestrians were taken to hospital.

One woman was being checked for spinal damage and an arm fracture, while the other was being treated for grazes.

Two police officers were also taken to

hospital for a routine check-up.

Firefighters freed the taxi driver, who was also taken to hospital. Witnesses said he was conscious and speaking to paramedics.

Ross Dewhurst, 56, of Erskineville, said he was in shock after narrowly avoiding being struck.

He said he was almost pushed into the restaurant for "a burger I didn't want to have".

Vai Sootaga, of Belmore, said one of the injured women appeared to be in her 20s and was alert and speaking to paramedics.

Petrol had spilled from the cab and emergency authorities worked to clean up the area.