A railway track worker was struck and tragically killed by a train on Tuesday (9 February) morning close to Surbiton Station on the South Western Railway
Emergency services arrived at the scene and an investigation into the incident, which happened around 11.38 am, is on-going. The railway track worker – who was working for Network Rail – has not been named.
Two other workers who were nearby are not thought to have been hurt.
The train involved was the 11:06 service from London Waterloo to Hampton Court.
Andrew Haines, Network Rail chief executive, said: “I am devastated to confirm that a colleague has lost his life following a tragic accident near Surbiton today. This is an incredibly sad time for the railway family.
“My thoughts, and those of everyone at Network Rail, are with the families and friends of the colleague involved.
“Our immediate priority now is to cooperate fully with the British Transport Police and Rail Accident Investigation Branch to fully understand what happened.”
‘A thorough investigation must take place’
TSSA general secretary, Manuel Cortes said: “Our thoughts and sympathies are with the worker who has died and their family members. Any loss of life on our railways is a tragedy.
“It would be wrong to speculate at this time about what has gone wrong, but a full and thorough investigation must take place, so lessons can be learned.
“Our union has been warning Network Rail about the alarming number of near misses and fatalities we have seen over the past year.
“Our Network Rail members do so much to keep our railways running smoothly day in day out and must be able to do this in a safe environment.
“Our union will never compromise on safety, and safety can never be taken for granted. It is simply not acceptable in this day and age that people go out to work and end up losing their lives.”
