Man dies after being 'struck by train'

Police were called to a fatality after a man was "struck by a train" in Penwortham.
Police were called to the incident at around 6.10amPolice were called to the incident at around 6.10am
Police were called to the incident at around 6.10am

The man was tragically killed after being hit by a train travelling to Manchester Airport at around 5.20 on 7 February.

British Transport Police said in a statement: "A man has sadly died after being struck by a train on the railway line close to Factory Lane, Penwortham. "Officers were called just after 5.20am this morning and attended alongside paramedics from the North West Ambulance Service. "This incident is not being treated as suspicious and officers are working to identify the man and inform his family. "A file will be prepared for the coroner."

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The incident caused widespread disruption across the northwest rail network with the line blocked for around two-and-a-half hours.

A passenger who was on board the Northern Rail train said: "The train stopped about five minutes after leaving Preston.

"We were then told there had been a fatality at around 5:40 and from there we were just waiting around. There were around 15-20 of us on the train and we were told that we would be returning back to Preston at around 7am.

"The area was covered with police and rail staff. The passengers seemed ok but the driver and conductor were distressed."

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Network Rail confirmed that the route re-opened at around 7.30am but delays of up to 90mins were still expected across the network.

In a statement to their website they say: "Emergency services have dealt with an incident between Preston and Leyland allowing all lines to reopen.

"Trains may be delayed by up to 90 minutes or cancelled.

"We anticipate a normal service to resume from approximately 09:00"

The incident affected all routes through Preston due to congestion and trains not being able to get to the correct locations.