Southern Rail: Person dies after being hit by a train; major disruption impacts Sussex services
The emergency services rushed to a ‘tragic incident’ on the railway line, with Sussex stations among those impacted by major disruption.
British Transport Police (BTP) said officers were called to East Croydon railway station at around 5pm on Wednesday (January 29) following ‘reports of a casualty on the tracks’.
"Paramedics also attended, however sadly a person was pronounced dead at the scene,” a BTP spokesperson said.
"The incident is not being treated as suspicious and a file will be prepared for the coroner.”
Southern Rail reported the incident on social media on Wednesday evening.
"It is with great sadness that we report a person has been hit by a train at East Croydon,” the post on X (formerly Twitter) read.
"All lines are blocked whilst the emergency services work to deal with this incident.
“This is affecting all of our services travelling to/from London.
“If you are travelling now, you will need to use an alternative route to reach your destination.”
Those waiting on trains which had been delayed between stations – including Gatwick Airport – were asked to ‘remain where you are and listen to announcements’.
Southern Rail added: “We'll get you moving as soon as possible.
“We're aware of your location, and our teams will be doing everything they can to help you continue your journey.”
Some lines at East Croydon had re-opened by 5,45pm but disruption continued until the early hours of Thursday morning
"Our signallers are working with each individual driver to get them back on the move,” Southern Rail added.
"Whilst we are able to run some trains, your journey will still be delayed.”
As of 7.50pm, the emergency services were still on site and working with specialist teams to deal with this situation as ‘sensitively, quickly and safely as possible’.
A social media notice read: “We appreciate your patience and kindness while station and on-board staff work to get you to your destination.”
At 9.30pm, Southern said the emergency services – along with Network Rail colleagues – were in the process of ‘handing the lines back’, so that ‘trains may start to run again’.
Passengers were warned that this process was ‘going to take some time’ and disruption was ‘likely to continue for some time’.
They were advised to continue to follow previous travel advice, utilise existing ticket acceptance and check live journey planners before travelling.
Services were still running to an amended schedule, as of 11pm.
At 1am, Southern Rail reported: “Services are no longer being affected by this tragic incident.
“If your journey has been delayed by 15 mins or more, you can claim Delay Repay compensation which you can choose to donate to the Samaritans to support their life-saving work.”