THOUSANDS of rush hour commuters were evacuated from trains on Friday evening after the death of man on a railway line.

The victim, who has not yet been named, was killed on the line between Sittingbourne and Newington at around 6pm.

The incident involved a London Victoria to Ramsgate train, which was evacuated with passengers sent to the nearby Travel Inn at Bobbing and the distraught driver taken off duty.

Train services at both ends ground to halt after the incident, with customers as far back as Rochester having to catch specially provided buses as the backlog of stopped trains built up.

At the other end passengers as far back as Faversham had to catch buses to their destination with some being delayed for over an hour.

South Eastern Trains spokesperson Sarah Boundy said: "This was clearly a tragic incident and the line had to close as investigations were carried out, which meant the trains were disrupted for the rest of the night.

"This was undoubtedly very unpleasant for passengers but we also made sure that the driver was treated with care as this would have been incredibly distressing for him.

"He was immediately relieved of his duties and has been given the opportunity of counselling."