RAIL travellers using the West Coast main line today (Wednesday) faced lengthy delays following an incident involving a man that British Transport Police said was threatening to jump from a railway bridge at Hest Bank.

Officers were called to the Marine Drive area at 9.15am in response to reports that a man was on the bridge threatening to harm himself.

Trains were stopped at Oxenholme Station as officers dealt with the incident.

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The man was removed from the bridge at 12.25pm and taken to hospital for assessment.

Replacement buses were put on but confusion reigned on the platforms and the delays caused one man to miss his flight to Dubai.

It left countless others trapped at the station.

Passenger Carol Davis, of Ayr, who was travelling to Bristol, said the power was switched off and the train she was on remained stationary on the line for more than an hour before it returned to Oxenholme.

She said platform attendants told passengers to wait outside for a bus service. But while they were outside a train arrived to collect stranded commuters.

A breakdown in communication meant those people waiting outside were not told about the train and missed it – leaving them stranded for hours, she said.

“The man on the line is not their fault but I’m cross because they should have made sure that all of us got on that other train,” said Ms Davis.

“They should have contacted everyone outside the station who was waiting for the bus.”