Tragically, a person has been found dead on the railway tracks near Formby station

Sefton Bubble
Aug 24
2 min read

Emergency services were called to the railway line in Formby this morning following reports of a casualty on the tracks. The incident took place at around 11.25am on Sunday 24th August, when British Transport Police officers and paramedics rushed to the scene. Despite their swift response, the person was sadly pronounced dead at the location.

British Transport Police have since confirmed that the death is not being treated as suspicious, and a file will now be prepared for the coroner. A spokesperson said: “Officers were called at around 11.25am today, Sunday 24 August, to reports of a casualty on the tracks in the Formby area. Officers responded with paramedics but sadly a person was pronounced dead at the scene. The incident is not being treated as suspicious and a file will be prepared for the coroner.”

The tragedy caused significant disruption across the Southport railway line, as services were immediately suspended between Southport and Hall Road to allow emergency crews to carry out their work. Replacement buses were quickly brought in to keep passengers moving, while Merseyrail arranged ticket acceptance on several bus services including Arriva routes 47 and 300, and the Stagecoach X2 service.

Merseyrail issued an update on its website confirming that disruption was expected to last until around 3pm, with only a very limited rail service able to operate between Hall Road and Liverpool during that time. National Rail also issued warnings, stating that trains running between Southport and Hall Road would be cancelled and that some services through to Liverpool Central might also be affected.

By early afternoon, Merseyrail confirmed that trains were beginning to resume on the Southport line, although passengers were warned that further delays and cancellations should be expected until a full timetable could be restored. The closure of the line and the scale of the disruption underlined the serious nature of the emergency services’ response, and many passengers travelling today found their journeys significantly delayed.

While the travel disruption was a major inconvenience for many people, the focus of today’s events remains firmly on the loss of life. The sad news has sent shockwaves through the local community, and the thoughts of everyone in Sefton are very much with the family and friends of the person who tragically lost their life this morning.