COMMUTERS faced chaos with hours of delays and more than a dozen train cancellations this evening following a fatality at Witham station and signalling problems at London Liverpool Street.

Emergency services were in attendance after a person was killed after being hit by a train at Witham station.

Train operator Greater Anglia reported the incident at 5.45pm

The line was closed by police for approximately 45 minutes before reopening at 6.30pm.

It caused delays up to 80 minutes for commuters returning home to the region from London Liverpool Street.

A Greater Anglia spokesman said: “We can confirm there was a fatality. The incident happened just north of Witham station.”

The spokesman added London Liverpool Street is still not running at a normal service following signalling problems at the station, first reported at around 5pm.

Three platforms, used for services travelling through Shenfield to Colchester and Ipswich and the rest of the region, have been investigated by Network Rail.

The spokesman said Network Rail have not yet fully solved the problem, but said the three platforms are now open - albeit still not running at a full service.

The 6.30pm London Liverpool Street to Norwich was expected at 8.30pm, while the 6.55pm to Ipswich was due to depart at 8.16pm.

Service disruption was expected for another hour until 9.20pm.

He said: “There have been severe delays lasting more than an hour in some cases but we are now catching up with our services.

“It is no consolation for people travelling home and we apologise for this.”

To find out whether this will impact your journey and to get alternative options planned for you, call TrainTracker on 0871 200 49 50 or visit http://www.journeycheck.com/greateranglia

If you were affected by these disruptions call the news desk on 01473 324 730 or email at news@eadt.co.uk