All lines blocked between Harrow and Milton Keynes after person hit by train

Train services on the West Coast Main Line are facing severe disruption after a person was struck by a train between Harrow & Wealdstone and Milton Keynes Central.

Emergency services are currently working at the scene, forcing the closure of all lines through the affected section. As a result, trains running between Clapham Junction or London Euston and Milton Keynes Central are being cancelled, heavily delayed by up to an hour, or diverted.

The disruption is expected to continue until the end of the day, with passengers advised to plan for significant delays and alterations to their journeys.

Services operated by Avanti West Coast, Caledonian Sleeper, London Northwestern Railway and Southern are all affected.

Avanti West Coast

Avanti West Coast has put ticket acceptance arrangements in place with other train operators including Chiltern Railways, East Midlands Trains, CrossCountry, LNER, TransPennine Express and Great Western Railway to help passengers complete their journeys, but travellers are urged to check travel advice before setting off.

Avanti also advise that if your ticket is dated for today, Thursday 15 January, you may instead use it tomorrow, Friday 16 January, at no additional cost if you choose not to continue your journey this evening. If your booked train is cancelled, your ticket will be accepted on either of the two Avanti West Coast services immediately before your scheduled departure, or the two services immediately after. Passengers who decide not to travel due to a cancelled or delayed service are entitled to claim a full refund from their original point of purchase.

Southern

Southern has confirmed further changes to its services. Trains running between East Croydon and Watford Junction are currently terminating at Shepherds Bush, while services travelling in the opposite direction are starting from Shepherds Bush instead. Passengers travelling to or from Wembley Central, Harrow & Wealdstone or Watford Junction are likely to need to use alternative routes, with journeys expected to take at least 20 to 30 minutes longer than usual.

London Northwestern Railway

Rail replacement buses are in operation between Watford Junction and Milton Keynes Central / Northampton, and also between Northampton and Rugby / Coventry.

They have also arranged limited ticket acceptance with other train operators including Avanti West Coast, Thameslink and Chiltern Railways. Travellers are again urged to check travel advice before setting off.

Caledonian Sleeper

Caledonian Sleeper haven't provided any information at this point regarding their services later this evening.

Passengers across the network are being advised to check the latest updates before travelling and allow extra time for their journeys while the incident is dealt with.

Image: Avanti West Coast