THE DEATH of a pregnant woman who died on the railway line at Slough Station is being investigated as the ‘wilful destruction of a child’, police have confirmed.

Police were called to Slough Railway Station at 8.51am on Monday to reports of a 39-year-old woman being struck by a train. The heavily pregnant woman was killed by a high-speed train. She was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics.

A spokesman for British Transport Police (BTP) said: “The woman has not yet been formally identified but it is believed she had been pregnant at the time of her death.

“Officers are continuing to work to establish the circumstances around how the woman came to be struck by the train, and specialist officers are supporting her family at this difficult time.

“As is standard procedure in these cases, the driver of the train is receiving support, although the support he or she receives long-term will be down to the train operating company, Great Western Rail.

“We will release more details when her identity is formally confirmed.”

A BTP spokesman added: “This case is being investigated as the ‘wilful destruction of a child’. Of course there is nobody to arrest or prosecute, but that is what has been raised.”

The incident caused heavy disruption to train services on Monday, with those between Paddington and Reading, and Slough and Windsor affected. Tickets were made valid for the next day for those who chose to avoid travelling.

One man who witnessed the incident, Martin Kicks, wrote on the Slough Observer Facebook page: “The person went right under my seat as it passed the platform.

“I momentarily thought of pulling the stop cord but within seconds the train decelerated.”

BTP has asked anyone with any information regarding the incident to contact them on 0800 405060, quoting reference number 54 of 8 January.