A “bright” young man was hit by a train after a friend dropped him off at Beaconsfield Railway Station, an inquest heard this week.

Alex Rose, 25, had been driven from St Albans to Beaconsfield by his family friend Peter Rowland on the morning of January 27 after staying the night with him so he could get a direct train back to his home in Banbury.

He had a job interview later that day, but he tragically never got on the train home.

Chiltern Railways train driver Amjid Hussain, who was been in the role for 20 years, said he immediately pulled the brakes when he saw Alex, but could not stop for around 300 to 400 yards.

He died at the scene of multiple injuries.

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An inquest into the IT operator’s death at Buckinghamshire Coroner’s Court on Wednesday, September 30, heard that two days before he died, he had called his friend Peter to ask if he could go and stay with him at his home in St Albans, Hertfordshire, the next day, January 26.

Peter, who was a friend of Alex’s dad, agreed, and they spent the evening of January 26 enjoying a family meal and chatting with a cup of tea.

In a statement, Peter said Alex was his “normal self” during their time together. The next morning, Peter decided to drive Alex to Beaconsfield so he could get a direct train back home to Banbury instead of having to go into London first.

On the car journey, they chatted mainly about Brexit and his future career as he had a job interview later that day.

They had time before Alex’s train to grab a coffee at Costa in Beaconsfield and then they said goodbye.

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Peter’s statement added: “He seemed okay. I said I would see him in a couple of weeks. There hadn’t been anything about his behaviour that caused me real concern. He seemed his usual self.”

Peter described Alex as “bright” and “caring” but added he could be shy at times.

As a result of Alex’s death, Samaritans signage in the area had been reviewed and measures to train staff to look for signs to help vulnerable people had been put in place, Rebecca Saunders from British Transport Police told the inquest.

Senior coroner for Buckinghamshire Crispin Butler said with Alex making plans for his next therapy session and for a new job, it was “almost impossible” for any of his family or friends to see “any signposting to this incident”.

He added: “I am at a loss to help out with answering the question of why, but there is a clear indication that there was a decision taken on that morning not to catch the train, not to undertake any of his future plans.”

His death was ruled as suicide.

An online fundraising page set up in memory of Alex, who loved music, has helped raise £1,110 for a charity called Youth Music.

For confidential support in the UK, call the Samaritans on 116123, email jo@samaritans.org or visit a local Samaritans branch. See samaritans.org for more details.