COMMUTERS faced rail chaos last night when a man died after being hit by a train in West Swindon.

The incident happened on the line near John Lewis at Home at around 5.10pm as a Reading to Bristol Temple Meads train struck the man, who has not been identified.

Emergency services, including Wiltshire Police, British Transport Police and South West Ambulance Service, attended, but the man was pronounced dead at the scene.

A spokesman for British Transport Police (BTP) last night said the incident was not being treated as suspicious.

She said: “BTP were called to the Kingshill area of Swindon at around 5.10pm to reports a person had been struck by a train.

“Officers from BTP and Wiltshire Police, along with paramedics from South West Ambulance Service, attended the scene. The man was pronounced dead on arrival.

“It is currently being investigated as non-suspicious.”

Trains from Swindon station were either cancelled or delayed by up to 90 minutes, with First Great Western (FGW) reporting major disruption in both directions, as commuters gathered on the platforms.

Stranded commuter Joe Collet, 31, a risk manager, said: “I’m going to Gloucester and I’ve been here about 40 minutes. “It’s a bit frustrating but these things happen. You just have to wait for the police to do what they have to do.”

Another, who asked not to be named, said: “There were between 100 and 200 people all lined up on the platforms and there was a train stuck in the station. They told us they ordered coaches, but it was a long delay. I was waiting more than an hour.”

An FGW spokesman said the train had been damaged during the incident and was stranded on the line.

She said: “We were working with Network Rail and BTP to get things moving as quickly as possible. There were no services from Swindon to Chippenham and there was a limited service from Swindon to Reading and London.

“Trains to South Wales had to be diverted through Gloucester, which added an hour to the journey.

“The train involved in the fatality was also damaged and was stranded on the line. We do not control the line during incidents such as this and BTP have to carry out their investigation.”