Two Commuter Trains Derail in Southeast England During Heatwave

Overview

• A suburban train from London Victoria to Eastbourne derailed near Lewes on Thursday when three of eight carriages left the track, about 150 people were aboard, around 20 were taken to hospital and two were seriously injured.
• Less than 24 hours later on Friday a Greater Anglia service near Wickford in Essex had two rear carriages leave the rails, 62 passengers were checked and released and there were no serious injuries.
• The Rail Accident Investigation Branch has deployed teams to both sites to examine event recorders, onboard CCTV and the track and formation to determine the sequence of events.
• Network Rail and operators have imposed temperature-related speed restrictions, inspected rails for deformation and warned of widespread service disruption on affected routes.
• Experts say continuously welded rails can buckle when steel expands in very high heat and dry ground, and investigators will check whether that thermal expansion, track condition or other factors caused the derailments and whether rail resilience must be improved.