A TRESPASSER on the railway line has caused major disruption for passengers.

The person had to be removed by specialist police and large section of railway power lines turned off during the incident, which happened at Southampton Central.

It has caused widespread disruption at stations in the area which  expected to continued until around 2am.

South West Trains Service said the services affected were between Weymouth and Waterloo.

The incident unfolded at around 7pm and buses were arranged to run between Basingstoke and Southampton.

All lines were re-opened after the incident was resolved around 9pm, but there is a backlog of services.

South West Trains tweeting about the incident said power was restored at around 9.30pm.

A spokesman apologised for the disruption.

He said: “The trespasser on the line at a level crossing near Southampton has been removed from the area by specialist police and the power supply to the line has been restored.

“Trains are now on the move but have incurred severe delays.

“Trains and train crew are not in their scheduled locations so some services may be cancelled.

“Short notice alterations will be necessary while we return the service to normal.”

Passengers who hold a South West Trains ticket can use CrossCountry train services between Basingstoke and Bournemouth where available.

Hampshire Police said they could confirm there had been an incident which had been resolved, but were unable to give any further information.