Commuters force their way off London train in panic after passenger starts quoting Bible out loud

Commuters forced open the doors of a train in London in panic after a passenger started quoting from the Bible.

Passengers evacuated the train by themselves and climbed down on to the tracks outside Wimbledon station in south-west London on Monday morning.

They panicked at about 8.30am when the passenger began quoting lines such as, ‘Death is not the end’.

Police said a number of commuters ‘self-evacuated’ by pulling open carriage doors.

The incident caused disruption on the rail network which lasted until lunchtime.

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Power was turned off on a line between Wimbledon and London Waterloo after the man stood up and started shouting about the ‘sins’ of homosexuality.

Some passengers forced open doors and jumped on to the track, causing huge disruption to South Western Railway (SWR) services to and from London Waterloo, the UK’s busiest station.

Passengers praised a guard who calmed down the man and led him off the train. One said the guard dealt with the situation with ‘compassion, restraint and bravery’.

A Twitter user known as Ian, who was on the train, said the man’s Bible-reading led to a ‘panic’ and a ‘crush’.

The train was travelling between Shepperton and London Waterloo. British Transport Police said no arrests were made.

Mick Cash, leader of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union, said: ‘Once again the guard has stepped in and calmed a potentially dangerous situation in an exemplary and professional manner.

‘Panic could have broken out but for the guard’s calm and measured response.

‘This was a packed passenger train at the height of the rush hour and illustrates just why RMT members are fighting so hard to keep the guard on South Western Railway services.’

Union members on SWR are currently voting on whether to strike in a dispute over guards on trains.

A Network Rail spokesman said: ‘Passengers self-evacuated off a train and on to the tracks at Wimbledon this morning after a passenger incident.

‘British Transport Police are investigating and there were no injuries to passengers or staff.

‘This has caused significant delays to services in and out of Waterloo that will continue for the rest of the morning.’

(Picture: Rex)