Person hit by a train: Sussex-bound trains affected by 'major disruption'

Southern Rail reported the incident between East Croydon and Purley shortly before 10pm.

“A social media statement read: “We are very sorry to advise that a person has been hit by a train.

“All lines are blocked between these stations, and trains are unable to travel on this part of our network. This incident will cause major disruption for the rest of the night.

"You'll need to use another route, if there is one available in your area. Your ticket will be accepted at no extra cost on: TfL Buses on any reasonable route; tube services across London; Southeastern on any reasonable route; South Western Railway on any reasonable route.

"You can also use: Metrobus between Merstham, Redhill, Gatwick Airport, Crawley and Horsham; trams across the Wimbledon, Croydon and Beckenham areas; GWR services between Guildford, Dorking, Reigate, Redhill and Gatwick Airport.”

People planning to travel by train were advised to ‘please leave at least an hour of extra time’.

In an update at 10.25pm, Southern wrote: “Some lines have now reopened between East Croydon and Purley, but we still expect that trains will have major disruption until close of service.

"Our control teams are working to recover our service timetable following this tragic incident.”

At 1am, the train company shared a photo of a map of the area affected, displaying the ‘severe disruption on our network this evening’. This includes Crawley, Three Bridges and Gatwick Airport stations.

A spokesperson said: “We advise that your avoid travelling this evening as alternatives are very limited and services remain disrupted.”

At 2.30am, Southern added: “We are working to get all our late-evening passengers home and resume our planned overnight timetable however, some services have been delayed by up to 60 minutes.

“You can now use your normal route but please check your journey as there may still be some cancellations to services this morning.”

Southern confirmed just after 3am that disruption had ended ‘after this tragic event’.

A post on X read: “We work closely with @samaritans and support the work they do. If you or someone close to you has been affected by this or any incident, there is always someone to talk to. Contact Samaritans on 116 123 free at any time, on any phone. Help & advice is only a phone call away.”