A PERSON has died following an incident on the East Coast Main Line which has caused major disruption to LNER services.
Emergency services have been at the scene near Newcastle Central station this morning and the incident is expected to affect services throughout the rest of the day.
Officers attended alongside paramedics, but a person was pronounced dead at the scene.
A British Transport Police spokesperson told The Press: “We were called to an area of the line close to Newcastle station at around 8am today (21 October) following reports of a casualty on the tracks.
“Officers attended along with paramedics but sadly a person was pronounced dead at the scene.
“Enquiries are ongoing into the circumstances leading up to their death.”
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The incident near the busy station has caused major disruption across the LNER route, including services travelling between York and Newcastle.
Other services impacted include Northern, CrossCountry, Lumo and TransPennine Express.
LNER said services were now moving again, but warned passengers that disruption was continuing because of congestion in the area.
In an update to passengers just after 11.30am, an LNER spokesperson said: “There is major disruption across the LNER route between Darlington and Newcastle station due to emergency services dealing with an incident.
“Services are on the move; however, we continue to be disrupted due to congestion in the area.
“Train services running across the whole London North Eastern Railway network may be cancelled/altered or delayed.”
British Transport Police confirmed that someone has sadly died after an incident on the railway line close to Newcastle Central. (Image: BTP)
Disruption is expected to continue until the end of the day and passengers are being urged to check their entire journey before setting off.
LNER has warned that trains could be extremely busy and has strongly advised passengers who have not yet begun their journeys to avoid travelling if possible.
Tickets are being accepted at no additional cost on a number of alternative operators, including TransPennine Express between Manchester, Leeds, York and Newcastle, and CrossCountry between Sheffield, Doncaster or Leeds, York and Newcastle or Edinburgh.
Passengers can also use Avanti West Coast on specified routes between London Euston, Manchester and Glasgow Central or Edinburgh, and Northern between Carlisle and Newcastle.
Those who decide not to travel can claim a full refund, while passengers delayed by 30 minutes or more in reaching their booked destination may be eligible for compensation through the Delay Repay scheme.