Man's death at Portchester railway station branded 'dreadful tragedy'

Emergency services were alerted at 5.34am today to reports of a ‘casualty on the tracks’ at Portchester railway station.

Police and paramedics attended but a man was pronounced dead at the scene.

The death has since shocked the community around Portchester.

Councillor Roger Price, who represents Portchester East on Fareham Borough Council, was dismayed by the news.

He said: ‘I’m absolutely distraught to hear this has happened again. It’s incredibly sad.

‘It’s a tragedy. It’s terrifying to hear somebody has died like this.’

Cllr Price, who is the Lib Dem group leader on the council, added he was worried about the number of people who have lost their lives in incidents at Portchester in recent years.

In December 2015, a man was struck by the train on the track and died. A similar tragedy occurred in February 2017, when a man was killed after being hit by a train.

Cllr Price said: ‘This is yet another dreadful tragedy at Portchester. My thoughts go out to the family of the man, who must be distraught at this time, and to the driver of the train.

‘It’s very difficult to say at this stage what has happened. But a number of people have died at the train station.

‘I don’t know what could be done to stop this happening… I don’t think there is anything we could do.’

British Transport Police (BTP) has not named the man who died this morning.

Officers are now in the process of informing his next of kin.

A BTP spokesman said: ‘Officers were called to Portchester station at 5.34am this morning following reports of a casualty on the tracks.

‘Paramedics also attended, however sadly a person was pronounced dead at the scene.

‘The incident is not being treated as suspicious and a file will be prepared for the coroner.’

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Horrified readers of The News have since spoken of their heartbreak at the man’s death.

One woman said: ‘Absolutely heartbreaking. My thoughts go out to all involved in this morning’s tragedy.’

Another reader added: ‘My thoughts are with the family and the train driver. So very sad x.’

While another woman added: ‘Thoughts with everyone concerned in this terrible tragedy.’

The incident caused widespread disruption to train services, with cancellations and delays hitting stations across Portsmouth, Fratton, Havant and Fareham.

Train operator Southern Rail organised a number of replacement bus services.

Lines are all open now however Southern warned passengers to ‘allow plenty of extra time’ for journeys.

‘If you have not yet set off to the station, please travel later on today,’ a spokesman added.

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