A defect was identified on the railway near Lewes in East Sussex at the site where a train derailed last Thursday, injuring people, the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) says. Initial RAIB findings report an ‘irregularity’ in the track geometry close to the point where three rear carriages left the rails and tumbled down an embankment.
The RAIB said it had also received several reports from passengers on other services of rough riding at the location. CCTV from a train that passed the site at 14:04 BST showed the track irregularity just before the section where the 14:24 service from London Victoria to Eastbourne derailed at about 15:54 in the Landport area of Lewes.
The eight-carriage train was travelling at roughly 65 mph, within the 70 mph speed limit, and the driver had already begun braking as the train neared the site. The incident left around 30 people injured, including two with serious injuries. Eighteen people were taken to hospital with less serious injuries and have since been discharged.
The RAIB noted the derailment occurred during a prolonged period of hot, dry weather, with temperatures up to about 33°C shortly before the crash. It said the clay embankment and the material beneath it are sensitive to changes in moisture content and may move as moisture levels change.
Investigators will examine how that stretch of track was inspected and maintained, the condition and upkeep of the embankment, the weather conditions at the time, and how effective any hot-weather mitigation measures were.
Network Rail and Greater Thameslink Railway issued a joint apology and said they will carefully consider any recommendations from the investigation and work across the industry to implement them to improve safety. Network Rail’s group safety and engineering director previously said no temporary speed restrictions were in place on that section at the time and reiterated that the railway is safe, pointing to measures used to manage weather impacts on the network. The Department for Transport said safety remains the absolute priority and noted UK railways remain among the safest in the world.
