RAIL services from London to the east were thrown into chaos after a person was reported to have been hit by a train at Goodmayes in north east London.

All trains ground to a halt while emergency services attended to the incident, and several services running through Goodmayes station were subsequently cancelled or delayed at short notice.

Trains including the 19:52 Ipswich to London service, the 20:38 from Liverpool Street to Colchester Town and the 21:00 Liverpool Street to Norwich service were among those that were cancelled.

Others such as the 19:30 service from Norwich to London terminated at Colchester leaving frustrated passengers unable to complete their journeys.

A spokesman for Greater Anglia said services were up and running again by 9.30pm but the knock-on effect of the delays is expected to continue for most of the night.

One frustrated commuter, who asked not to be named, said it had taken him nearly two hours to travel between Ipswich and Colchester.

He said: “The train staff have been relaying updates to us but it’s just a nightmare – I guess there’s just nothing they can do.”

Many Greater Anglia ticket holders were transferred onto any viable underground routes or buses in a bid to minimise the disruption.

Inspector Tim Scott of the British Transport Police said train lines were closed while they searched for the person believed to have been hit. He said: “The driver reported seeing a person on the platform leaning forward and was sure that person had been struck by the train. There was a dent on the front of the train, but despite searches by police helicopter at the station and beyond, no-one could be found.”

Insp Scott appealed for anyone with information to call 0800 405040.