Just Eat delivery man branded 'hero' after 'rescuing' stranded train passengers

A Just Eat delivery driver has been labelled a "hero" after coming to the "rescue" of dozens of passengers who had become stranded on a train in the June heatwave. One of those passengers, Lucy Redman, captured the moment she and her fellow travellers were "saved" on board their stalling Thameslink service to Brighton from London.

Filming from the motionless train, which appeared to be stuck on a bridge, Lucy expressed her relief as the courier arrived via bicycle below to launch bottles of water towards those suffering in Saturday's (June 21) heat. Impressively, he managed to expertly aim each bottle through open windows to help quench the passengers' thirst.

"Just Eat UK got us, thanks Thameslink for ruining our day trip to Brighton!" Lucy penned in the caption of a video posted to TikTok. "You saved us in 40 degree heat!"

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She added: "Give this man a medal. Stranded on train, saved by Just Eat."

Writing in response, one TikTok user declared: "This is the best advertising Just Eat could ask for."

A second person said: "Just Eat UK this employee of yours deserves a big fat bonus."

A third asked: "Did someone actually ordered a Just eat delivery to that location? That's genius!"

Meanwhile, a fourth TikTok user quipped: "Can one request a delivery driver with excellent aim? Because this is impressive."

And a fifth person told Just Eat: "You need to reply saying your giving this man the raise and credit he fully deserves. Being stuck on a train in this heat is the worst and he done the most incredible act of throwing them bottles."

Thameslink took to X at the time to explain the problem. "Trains are unable to run south from London Blackfriars towards East Croydon/Gatwick/Horsham/Brighton," the company said.

"Due to a fault on a train between London Blackfriars and Herne Hill, some lines are blocked. We're working to gather more information on this incident.

"We don't have an exact estimate for delays at this stage, but please allow plenty of extra time. We're organising more ticket acceptance to help with your journey."

And in a separate tweet, Thameslink issued advice for those on board: "If you're stuck on a train which isn't moving, please remain where you are and don't make any attempt to leave the train unless instructed to.

"We are aware of your location and are working to get you moving as soon as we can. Please listen out for announcements from the driver onboard."

Thameslink also provided a link for those affected in which they could apply for a refund via its Delay Repay service for delays of 15 minutes or more.

A spokesperson for Govia Thameslink Railway and Network Rail told us of the incident: "Yesterday, a fault on a train near Loughborough Junction brought all services to a halt in the area, three of them outside station platforms. Without power and air conditioning on such a hot day, we pulled all resources from across Sussex and Kent to get personnel on site to safely evacuate passengers as quickly as possible along the track.

"This would have been a difficult and uncomfortable experience for our passengers and we are truly sorry. With safety our top priority, the safest place was to remain on the trains while we worked our hardest to get help to those on board."