Overview
- A Greater Anglia service from Southend Victoria to London Liverpool Street derailed near Wickford on 14 August after the driver reported a visible 'kink' in the track and the rearmost vehicle ran on sleepers and ballast for about 1.5 miles.
- RAIB's preliminary review of forward‑facing CCTV and on‑train data shows the misalignment at the exact derailment point and that the train was travelling at roughly 77 mph when the rear vehicle left the rails.
- No passengers were injured, about 62 people were on board, the train remained upright, and the passing service suffered only minor damage from flying ballast, while track, signalling and overhead electrification sustained significant damage.
- Network Rail carried out repairs and reopened the line later that week and has introduced timetable adjustments and other operational mitigations in Essex because record heat and low rainfall have dried and shrunk clay under long sections of track.
- RAIB's independent investigation will now examine the sequence of events, the track's maintenance history, staff actions and hot‑weather mitigations before publishing final findings and any safety recommendations.