A person has died after an incident on the railway near Ashford station in Surrey, causing major disruption to services to and from London Waterloo.
British Transport Police were called to the station shortly after 12.30pm on Tuesday following reports of a casualty on the tracks. Officers attended alongside paramedics, but the person was pronounced dead at the scene. The incident is not being treated as suspicious, police said.
Police statement on the incident
A spokesperson for British Transport Police said: "We were called at around 12.30pm today (10 November) to reports of a casualty on the tracks at Ashford railway station in Surrey."
"Officers responded with paramedics, however sadly a person was pronounced dead at the scene. The incident is not being treated as suspicious."
Impact on South Western Railway services
The death sparked major disruption on the South Western Railway network after power to the affected section of line was switched off to allow emergency services safe access to the railway. National Rail warned passengers to expect significant delays, cancellations and revised routes throughout the afternoon and evening.
Services between Feltham and Staines were suspended while emergency teams dealt with the incident. South Western Railway said disruption was expected to continue until at least 7pm, with some passengers facing delays of up to an hour.
Affected routes and passenger advice
A number of routes were affected, including services between London Waterloo and Windsor & Eton Riverside, Reading and Weybridge. Waterloo to Windsor services were unable to run beyond Staines, while some trains terminated early at Twickenham before returning to central London.
Services between Waterloo and Reading were diverted via Weybridge and Virginia Water, while trains running to Weybridge via Brentford were altered and diverted. Passengers were urged to check before travelling and allow extra time for journeys.
Station staff remained on hand to assist customers, while South Western Railway advised that affected passengers may be eligible for compensation through its Delay Repay scheme. The line was expected to gradually reopen once emergency services had completed their work and railway infrastructure had been inspected. British Transport Police said a file will be prepared for the coroner.
