AN inquest has been opened into the death of a 19-year-old man who died after he was hit by a train in Hexham.

William Wilson from Bardon Mill was killed after he was struck by the train travelling on the Tyne Valley railway line, at Tyne Green, on Thursday morning.

Emergency services rushed to the scene after being called, but Mr Wilson was pronounced dead.

Police quickly cordoned off the area (pictured left).

A spokeswoman for the British Transport police said: “Officers were called to the line close to Hexham station at 10.39am following reports of a casualty on the tracks.

“Paramedics were also on scene, and sadly a person has been pronounced dead.”

Friends took to social media to pay their respects to the former Haydon Bridge High School student when they heard the tragic news.

British Transport Police said the death was not being treated as suspicious, and confirmed they had provided a report to the coroner. A post-mortem was carried out before the inquest was opened by South Northumberland coroner, Eric Armstrong, on Wednesday.

Trains were cancelled or delayed between Carlisle and Newcastle while emergency services were in attendance and operator, Northern, ran replacement buses.

The railway lines reopened at around 1pm.