'Tragedy' as railway worker from Hampshire dies after being hit by a train at Surbiton

The 30-year-old was struck by the train at Surbiton railway station, in south-west London a midday today.

Emergency services were scrambled to the scene but the male – who has not been named – was pronounced dead at the scene.

British Transport Police (BTP) said the man’s family had been informed and that officers were working with the Office of Rail and Road and the Rail Accident Investigation Branch to establish the full circumstances behind his death.

Detective Chief Inspector Paul Langley, from BTP, said: ‘This is a tragic incident which has resulted in the very sad death of a railway worker.

‘Our deepest condolences are with the man’s family who are being supported by specially trained officers.’

The incident happened between Surbiton and Weybridge.

South Western Railway (SWR) said it had switched off the power in the affected area to allow emergency services access and that it expected delays until 7pm on Tuesday.

Manuel Cortes, general secretary of the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association, said: ‘Our thoughts and sympathies are with the worker who has died and their family members.

‘Any loss of life on our railways is a tragedy.

‘It would be wrong to speculate at this time about what has gone wrong, but a full and thorough investigation must take place, so lessons can be learned.

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‘Our union has been warning Network Rail about the alarming number of near misses and fatalities we have seen over the past year.

‘Our Network Rail members do so much to keep our railways running smoothly day in, day out, and must be able to do this in a safe environment.

‘Our union will never compromise on safety, and safety can never be taken for granted. It is simply not acceptable in this day and age that people go out to work and end up losing their lives.’

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