The East Coast Main Line reopened north of York on Monday evening after all lines were closed earlier in the day when a person was hit by a train between Northallerton and York. Trains were delayed and cancelled while rail replacement services ran between York and Newcastle.

The shutdown affected one of the country’s busiest rail routes for hours, forcing operators to switch to buses as they tried to move passengers around the blockage. The reopening brought relief for travellers, but the service disruption had already spread across the evening timetable.

Northallerton and York are the locations named in the incident, and no details were given about the person hit by the train beyond the fact that the collision happened. That left the cause of the disruption clear and the human circumstances behind it unreported.

For passengers, the key change on Monday evening was simple: trains could start running again north of York. The remaining impact was likely to be felt in cancellations and knock-on delays after the line had been shut for much of the day.