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A railway worker has died after he was hit by a train just outside Leeds city station on Wednesday morning.

The accident happened at Whitehall junction in Wortley at about 0945 GMT as an empty train was returning to the depot, British Transport Police said.

Network Rail confirmed the casualty was one of its employees who was working on the tracks just west of the station.

He was taken to hospital but died from his injuries. A British Transport Police investigation is under way.

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch has also been informed.

Services out of Leeds station were disrupted after all lines heading south and west of the city were closed for a short time.

They were all later reopened, with the exception of the Leeds to Shipley service which is expected to resume later.

A Network Rail spokesman said the train was not travelling at high speed at the time of the incident as it was just pulling out of the station.

It is not yet known what the worker was doing on the line.

British Transport Police said: "We are currently attending an incident at Whitehall Junction in Wortley, Leeds, after receiving reports of a train striking a person on the tracks at 9.44am. We are working closely with our rail partners to establish the circumstances of the incident. The train involved was empty stock returning to the depot from Leeds."

Bob Crow, general secretary of the Rail Maritime and Transport (RMT) union, said: "This is a tragic incident and our thoughts are with the friends and family of our member who has lost his life doing his job. RMT will be playing a full role in the investigations into exactly how it happened. We will ensure that there is an open and transparent inquiry, that the full facts are established and that any appropriate action is taken as a consequence of those investigations."