That would explain why a 3 car set was back on the service this morning

Flybe now fly NQY-LHR daily. A 1 hr 20 min flight landing at 0830.....the convenience & speed of this option will hoover up a lot of Cornish customers who previously may have used the sleeper. Problems like this one will drive even more people away from the train & onto the plane

The person who died was indeed a member of railway staff.

A very sad day: may I offer our condolences from this forum to his family and friends.

The photographs emerging show no damage to the level crossing equipment.  I therefore suspect (and its just my own opinion) that the car was driven off the level crossing when the barriers were up, onto the tracks outside of the range of the level crossing CCTV system.  Time will tell.  I think we were very lucky the train didn't derail as it appears to have pushed the car nearly half a mile along the track before coming to rest.

Police have confirmed a man in his early 20s died after a car was hit by a train in Devon on Thursday morning.

British Transport Police say a 23-year-old man from Exeter was pronounced dead at the scene at a level crossing in Stoke Canon on Thursday morning.

His family have been informed, and the death is not currently being treated as suspicious, however officers continue to make inquiries to establish the full circumstances leading to the vehicle and man being struck by a train.

Police say that following this incident, three further incidents were brought to the attention of officers within the proximity of Stoke Canon.

This includes a train striking objects at Newton St Cyres and at Crannaford, as well as a line-side fire at Eggesford.

All four incidents are being treated as linked, although at this time officers are not tracing anyone else in connection.