Person struck by train triggers rail disruption and Gatwick evacuation

A person was struck by a train on the rail network on Monday morning, forcing multiple lines to close and prompting the evacuation of Gatwick Airport station as emergency services worked at two separate incident sites. The disruptions, affecting Thameslink, Gatwick Express, Southern and other services across south and central England, left thousands of passengers stranded and are expected to continue into the early afternoon.

Rail operators said all lines were blocked between Haywards Heath and Gatwick Airport while emergency responders dealt with the incident, and services were also suspended between Luton and St Albans City. Thameslink warned its services would be cancelled until further notice and advised customers not to travel. Southern Rail said Gatwick Airport station had been evacuated because it had become severely overcrowded and that passengers would not be permitted to enter the station until staff confirmed it was safe to do so.

National Rail issued warnings that journeys could be substantially longer than usual. Some operators reported delays of up to 60 minutes on affected routes, while another advisory cautioned that journeys might take at least 120 minutes...