Ballymena stunned by railway line tragedy

Emergency services deployed to the scene around noon on Sunday and were at the location for a considerable time.

It is understood that the incident occurred in the vicinity of a railway arch which crosses the tracks as they run alongside the main Ballymena to Cullybackey Road.

The arch is just a few metres past the town boundary sign.

Passengers were taken from the train and guided along the tracks in the direction of the town.

They were able to emerge from the railway line, which has steep embankments for much of this stretch, via a garden of a house on Cullybackey Road itself.

A major incident scene was located at this point with members of the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service deployed to help with the evacuation.

Passengers, some of them white-faced with shock, were directed to a double decker bus on which they were to continue their journey.

The rail line was closed for a considerable time following the incident.

A Translink spokesperson said: “We can confirm a man died on the railway line near Ballymena.”