Rail death causes delays

SUFFOLK: Rail passengers faced substantial delays last night after a person was killed by a freight train in Essex.

The victim, who is yet to be identified, was hit by a train at Witham Railway Station at 11.46am yesterday <Feb16>.

The incident initially forced the closure of the Ipswich to London line for over an hour.

However, a later problem at a level crossing at Ingatestone meant evening commuters were effected and faced delays of up to an hour.

A spokesperson for British Transport Police said: “We can confirm that a person has died after being struck by a freight train at Witham Railway Station in Essex.

“The incident was reported to us at 11.46am on Tuesday.

“Officers from British Transport Police and Essex Police attended alongside paramedics from the Essex Ambulance Service.

“The death is not being treated as suspicious and a report will be prepared for the coroner.

“The victim’s family have been informed.”

A spokesperson for National Express East Anglia added: “The effect of the incident was exacerbated by a later problem at Ingatestone.

“This had an on-going effect into the evening with delays on services via Chelmsford of up to one hour.

“We also had to cancel a number of train services as the evening progressed.

“National Express would like to apologise for any inconvenience this caused passengers.”