A body was last night being recovered from the main East Coast railway line at Northallerton station after a person was hit by the Newcastle-to-Birmingham train.

A spokesman for British Transport Police said there were no suspicious circumstances. The body was thought to be that of a man, but no other details were available. Trains were either cancelled or badly delayed as a result of the accident.

chair hopefuls: A civil servant, a head of a TV company and a senior ICI executive have all made the shortlist in the race for the chairmanship of One NorthEast. See Page