Man dies after being struck by high-speed train following A1 custody van escape

Man dies after being struck by high-speed train following A1 custody van escapeA man in his 40s escaped from a police custody van while it was stationary on the A1 motorway in Hertfordshire before being struck and killed by a train Share Article Share Article Facebook X LinkedIn Reddit Bluesky Email Copy Link Link copied Bookmark Add us as preferred source Comments By Tom Sanders, Peter Hennessy 00:10, Fri, May 29, 2026 Updated: 00:16, Fri, May 29, 2026 Police at the scene at Welwyn North railway station. May 28, 2026. // A man who died after being hit by a train this morning (May 28) is understood to be a prisoner who escaped from a court van. The prisoner, in his 40s, was being conveyed to court by a transport contractor when he escaped from the vehicle on the A1(M) in Hertfordshire. A search of the area ensued and the British Transport Police received reports of a casualty on the tracks near Welwyn North railway station at 9.40am Formal identification has yet to take place, but the family of the escaped man are aware and a file has been prepared for the coroner. Photo released 28/05/2026 (Image: Newsquest / SWNS)A man was struck and killed by a high-speed train after fleeing from a custody vehicle that was transporting him from a police station to a court hearing, according to police. window.scriptsToLoad.push({url:'https://live.primis.tech/live/liveView.php?s=118222&vp_content=plembed3a6btjknzwqh&cbuster=%%CACHEBUSTER%%&playerApiId=v118222',triggeredBy:'tcfLoaded',delay:1500,containerId:'ovp-primis',title:"Primis player",beforeLoad:()=>{window.top.addEventListener('primisPlayerInit',e=>{try{if(e.detail&&e.detail.playerApiId==="v118222"){if(window.document.getElementsByClassName('jwplayer')[0]){e.detail.float('disable')}}}catch(e){}})},}) The man, believed to be in his 40s, broke free from the vehicle while it was stationary on the A1, Hertfordshire Police and British Transport Police (BTP) confirmed in a joint statement. Article continues below ADVERTISEMEN...