Overview
- An eight-car service near Lewes had its rear three carriages derail and overturn on Thursday, leaving about 20 people with injuries.
- A separate derailment near Wickford station on Friday saw rear cars leave the track without overturning and no reported injuries among more than 60 passengers.
- Local media published photos showing visibly warped track at at least one scene and engineers have warned that very high heat and dry ground can make rails buckle or alter the trackbed.
- Transport police and the national rail network manager have opened formal investigations into both incidents and say they have not yet found a definitive causal link to the heatwave.
- Happening during a record European heatwave, the derailments are likely to prompt safety checks and operational reviews of rail infrastructure when temperatures spike.