A MAN has died after his car was hit by a train in North Yorkshire.

The incident was reported to British Transport Police and North Yorkshire Police at about 9.15am on the line at the Ivy Lea rail crossing at Scampston, near Malton.

A spokeswoman for British Transport Police said North Yorkshire Police, Yorkshire Ambulance Service and North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue service were at the scene.

She said: "Sadly the driver of the car, who is believed to be a 77-year-old local man, has died. 

"The train involved was the 8.48am Scarborough to Liverpool Lime Street TransPennine Express Service. There have been no reported injuries to passengers on the service though the driver of the service is being treated for shock."

John Oxley, city archaeologist with City of York Council, was a passenger in the first carriage of the train on his way to work when the crash happened.

He said: "There were no shouts within the carriage, we just heard the loud bang and the sound of the train shuddering and then silence.

"I was sitting facing backwards so the impact sort of pushed me back into my seat. Some other people were thrown forward a bit, but not sufficient to cause anyone any injuries in our part of the train.

"The brakes went on straight away and the whole train jerked and shuddered and about 400 metres down the line it came to a halt.

Mr Oxley said the conductor then made his way through the train to the driver's compartment, then told passengers there had been an incident, and staff were inspecting the train and the tracks.

He said: "Passengers knew we'd hit something, but we didn't know what."

Mr Oxley said some passengers were using social media to find out what was happening, and emergency services were on the scene within minutes to reassure them and try to help the motorist, who has not yet been named.

He said: "My sympathies go out to the family of the man who was killed and to the driver.

"It makes you think that you set off on a morning heading to work and then half an hour later someone has died as a result of an impact you were part of."

BTP officers worked with the emergency services to remove the passengers from the train and transport them to Malton station.

Annie Wilson, who was walking her dog nearby, told BBC Radio York: “There was a gentleman in a car waiting to turn into Ivy Lea, and I stopped to let him go through the crossing - I assume that’s where he was going because it’s quite a narrow track there, and carried on across the field.

“I must have been about 400 metres away and I heard a loud bang, and then heard all the horns of the train so I wasn’t entirely sure what had happened.”

Chief Inspector Derek O'Mara of BTP said: "My thoughts and prayers are with their family. It is a farm crossing and people that use the crossing have to phone up the signal box to find out if it is safe to cross.”

Anthony Armstrong, 33, who was travelling from Scarborough to York said: “I heard a big crunch when it happened and it was a pretty full train so everyone was quite shaken up really.

“We got off the train for about 25 minutes and you could see a car door attached to a door at the front of the train.”

Mike Williams, who lives nearby in Low Moor Gate, Rillington, said: “This will affect people as everyone knows everyone else round here.

“There was an enormous amount of fire engines going down there along with a doctor and the air ambulance.”

Rillington resident Beverley Goring said: “That level crossing is use lots by walkers who live around here and live on farms. It is dreadful to think that this has happened. It’s really sad news.”

Passengers evacuated the train and were transported to Malton. The line was closed for several hours, with trains replaced by buses.

These pictures were Tweeted from the train by Mr Oxley: 

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