Get you up to speed: First person killed by steam train in nearly 60 years | News UK
A person was fatally struck by the steam locomotive 34028 Eddystone at Hanwell Station, West London, on Wednesday morning. The incident, which resulted in the cancellation of a scheduled rail tour to Victoria, was confirmed by Southern Locomotives Ltd, and the victim was pronounced dead at the scene by British Transport Police, who stated the incident is not being treated as suspicious.
The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) has been contacted for further comment regarding the incident. British Transport Police confirmed the victim was pronounced dead at the scene, indicating the incident will not be treated as suspicious.
Southern Locomotives Ltd expressed deep sadness over the incident, stating, “Our immediate thoughts and deepest sympathies are with the family and loved ones of the individual involved and the train crew who witnessed the tragedy.” The British Transport Police reported that the victim was pronounced dead at the scene, but noted that the incident is not being treated as suspicious.
What remains unclear — The circumstances surrounding how the individual ended up on the tracks remain unreported.
Person fatally struck by steam train in Hanwell, marking first UK death in 58 years
A person was fatally struck by a steam train on its way to an Armistice Day event in the first incident of its kind in almost 60 years.
The 34028 Eddystone locomotive had left Southall depot in west London for Victoria Station when it collided with a person who had allegedly walked off a platform at Hanwell at around 6am on Wednesday.
The steam train, operated by Southern Locomotives Ltd, was due to head to the major rail terminus before pulling the Armistice Steam Express to Canterbury for a Remembrance Day commemoration.
Its tour the day cancelled following the incident, the first fatality from a steam train in the UK in 58 years.
Several services were disrupted on the Great Western Main Line, including Elizabeth Line trains for most of Wednesday.
The last scheduled passenger steam-hauled service in the UK was the Fifteen Guinea Special which last ran in August 1968 between Liverpool and Preston.
Steam trains were banned from mainline operations by British Rail the same year, but continue to be used for special excursions, on heritage lines and tourist routes.
However steam locomotives remain in service in a select few countries worldwide including Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Korea and Poland
A statement from the firm said: ‘We are deeply saddened to confirm that a person has died after being struck by our locomotive 34028 Eddystone this morning at Hanwell Station, West London.
Our immediate thoughts and deepest sympathies are with the family and loved ones of the individual involved and the train crew who witnessed the tragedy.
The rail tour due to depart Victoria today has been cancelled as a result of this incident.
A spokesperson for British Transport Police said the victim was pronounced dead on the scene but that the incident was not being treated as suspicious.
According to the Office for Rail and Road, a total of 17 people died while trespassing on the railway between April 2025 and March 2026, 11 of which were at level crossings.
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WTX has contacted the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) for comment.