'Do Not Travel' warning as person hit by train shuts Stansted Express and Greater Anglia lines

Passengers travelling to and from Stansted Airport have been told not to travel after a person was hit by a train on Tuesday evening, according to [1]. All lines between Cheshunt and Hertford East/Stansted Airport were closed from around 20:42 on 25 August while emergency services carried out their work, [1] reports. Greater Anglia said trains may be cancelled, revised or delayed by up to 60 minutes, with major disruption expected to last until the end of the day, according to [1]. The operator is advising passengers not to travel between London Liverpool Street and Hertford East, Cambridge and Stansted Airport until further notice, [1] states. The affected routes include Stansted Express services between Liverpool Street and Stansted Airport, Greater Anglia services between Liverpool Street and Cambridge North, and services between Stratford and Bishops Stortford and between Stratford and Meridian Water, according to [1]. Anyone holding a ticket dated for travel on Tuesday 25 August will have it accepted for travel on Wednesday 26 August, [1] says. Passengers who cannot postpone are being permitted to use a number of alternative routes at no extra cost, including Great Northern trains between London King's Cross and Cambridge, services between Hertford North and Moorgate, selected Arriva and CentralConnect buses, London Underground, London Overground Weaver line services, and Thameslink trains between St Pancras International and Cambridge, according to [1]. Stansted Express has warned that journeys between London and the airport via alternative routes could take up to two hours and 30 minutes, [1] reports. Passengers heading to the airport from London are advised to travel by Underground from Liverpool Street to King's Cross St Pancras, then take a Great Northern service to Cambridge before changing for a train to the airport. Those heading into London from Stansted are advised to reverse that route, travelling to Cambridge, then King's Cross, then on to Liverpool Street by Underground, according to [1]. Advance ticket holders whose booked train is cancelled will also be allowed to travel on earlier or later services, [1] adds. Separately, [2] reports on an earlier disruption on the same corridor after a fire broke out overnight between Cambridge Heath and London Fields, damaging signalling equipment and halting trains between Liverpool Street and Hackney Downs, with cancellations continuing into the following morning while Network Rail engineers worked to replace the damaged cables. It is unconfirmed from the material provided whether that fire-related disruption and Tuesday evening's fatality-related closure are connected, or represent two separate incidents affecting the same route in quick succession; readers should treat them as distinct events unless Greater Anglia states otherwise. Passengers have been urged to check their journeys before setting off and may be entitled to compensation for delays, according to [1]. Anyone affected by what happened on the network has been directed to the Samaritans on 116 123, [1] notes. What to watch next: whether Greater Anglia confirms the line has reopened and normal Liverpool Street–Stansted Airport services have resumed, and whether the cause of Tuesday's incident is confirmed.