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Railway line on course to reopen after train derailment

Kate ReltonSouth East
Eddie Mitchell An aerial view of a railway embankment. There are people in high-vis uniforms standing on the tracks, with diggers on the line and both embankments. Eddie Mitchell
Works have been ongoing to repair the track at Landport after the derailment

A railway line in East Sussex damaged after a train derailment that left 30 people injured is on course to reopen next week, Network Rail has said.

A defect was found on railway tracks near Lewes following the derailment on August 13, a report by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) found.

Engineers have since removed the derailed carriages, rebuilt the embankment, installed replacement track and repositioned signalling equipment.

More than 80% of the work has been completed, with engineers confident of reopening the line on Tuesday, Network Rail said.

Louise Greaves, infrastructure director for Network Rail, said: "This has been a complex and challenging recovery operation, but we are making strong progress towards our goal of reopening the railway for customers on Tuesday.

"With the heavy infrastructure work being well on the way to completion, we can then focus our efforts on the final testing we need to do to reopen the railway safely."

More than 5,000 hours of work has been carried out by teams from Network Rail, Govia Thameslink Railway and their contractors, Greaves said.

A train derailed, with emergency service workers and vehicles nearby.
The eight-carriage train was travelling at 65mph when it derailed on August 13

Specialist cranes have been deployed to recover the derailed train carriages, with teams removing damaged track and ballast before repairs could begin.

Extensive testing and safety checks are also under way in preparation for the line to reopen.

In total, 1,640ft (500m) of track will be renewed, with 850 sleepers replaced across a section of embankment 524ft (160m) long.

Eddie Mitchell An aerial view of a trainline running through countryside, with a river running almost parallel on the left-hand side and a town in the distance on the far right. There are vehicles and diggers around the embankment in the centre of the image.Eddie Mitchell
More than 80% of the work has been completed, according to Network Rail

A continuing RAIB investigation will consider how the defected section of track was inspected and maintained, the condition and maintenance of the embankment, the weather conditions and how effective any hot weather mitigation measures were.

The eight-carriage Southern service from London Victoria to Eastbourne was travelling at 65mph when it derailed, the report said.

Emergency services evacuated all 150 passengers from the derailed carriages.

Injured passengers were assessed and treated at the scene, with two people sustaining serious injuries.

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