A train passenger has described the ‘incredibly sad’ moment people realised a woman had died in the third fatal incident on the line near Attenborough this year.
The Nottingham to London St Pancras East Midlands Trains service collided with the woman just before 9.30am on Sunday at the main Attenborough Lane vehicle level crossing.
The train was stopped for around an hour and a half after the incident, before it was re-routed to Derby, where passengers were asked to make alternative arrangements.
British Transport Police said the incident is not being treated as suspicious and the woman was confirmed dead at the scene.
One man who was on the train at the time, who asked not to be named, said: “The train just stopped and I didn’t know anything was wrong until there was an announcement over the PA system. We were sat still for about ten minutes before that.
“It was quite tense and there was a feeling of uneasiness around the carriage. Then everyone who was sat in first class at the front of the train were asked to move down. One couple I saw looked visibly shaken.
“Then I overheard staff explaining there would be a delay because there had been a death. It’s an incredibly sad situation. I can’t imagine how the woman’s family must be feeling.
“All the staff on the train were amazing and dealt with it very well.”
It follows the death of a man at the Meadow Lane crossing in May, and another man died near Attenborough Station in June.
Three level crossings at Attenborough Nature Reserve are subject to long-term plans by Network Rail for closure and replacement with pedestrian bridges.
