Derailed train line 'unlikely' to reopen this weekend

14 minutes ago

Neve Gordon-Farleigh

More than 60 people were travelling on a Greater Anglia Service from Southend Victoria to London Liverpool Street on Friday when it derailed at Wickford

Richard Knights/BBC A Greater Anglia train that derailed at Wickford in Essex. The train has stopped and there is damage to part of the carriage. A British Transport Police officer is standing by the train with their back to the camera. — More than 60 people were travelling on a Greater Anglia Service from Southend Victoria to London Liverpool Street on Friday when it derailed at Wickford

Railway services will continue to be disrupted over the weekend following extensive infrastructure damage after a passenger train derailed in Essex.

More than 60 people were travelling on a Greater Anglia Service from Southend Victoria to London Liverpool Street when it came off the tracks in Wickford at about 14:12 BST on Friday.

It happened less than 24 hours after a Southern Rail train carrying 150 people derailed near Lewes in East Sussex on Thursday.

Greater Anglia has warned passengers that at this stage it was "unlikely" the route would be reopened over the weekend and the disruption could continue into next week.

The train left Rayleigh at 14:06, but failed to reach Wickford as planned at 14:11.

One passenger told the BBC the train "swung wildly for around 10 seconds" and smoke entered the rear carriage.

An air ambulance landed close to the scene as a precaution alongside police, firefighters and paramedics. However, no-one was injured, according to investigators and the East of England Ambulance Service.

A second train was also evacuated after it was unable to continue its journey.

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch said inspectors were sent to the site to gather evidence

PA Media A large emergency personnel presence on a road parallel to the railway line. There are police vehicles, fire appliances and ambulances parked on the side of the road. Some emergency personnel are walking up the road or standing outside vehicles. Two ambulance workers are walking towards the camera, one wearing a hi-vis fluorescent jacket and the other carrying items in her arms. — The Rail Accident Investigation Branch said inspectors were sent to the site to gather evidence

Greater Anglia said the derailment was the subject of an investigation and a Network Rail response team is on site carrying out a full investigation and assessing the condition of the route.

On Friday, the Rail Accident Investigation Branch said it had deployed a team of inspectors to the site to begin gathering evidence.

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Greater Anglia said it was working "around the clock" to resume normal rail services as soon as possible

PA Media A photograph of the Greater Anglia train with part of the train off the track at Wickford in Essex. The train has been stopped and is not moving. Around 10 or more people are wearing orange fluorescent hi-vis with white helmets and are stood on the tracks to the right of the train. — Greater Anglia said it was working "around the clock" to resume normal rail services as soon as possible

The incident has affected routes between London Liverpool Street and Southend Victoria, Wickford and Southminster, and on the London-Braintree route.

Services between Shenfield and Southend Victoria have been amended and shuttle trains will operate between Liverpool Street and Billericay and between Southend Victoria and Hockley.

Rail replacement buses will also be operating between Billericay and Hockley and between Wickford and Southminster.

Services between London Liverpool Street and Braintree have been cancelled due to trains and crew usually being sourced from Southend. However, services on the branch line between Witham and Braintree are running as normal.

Services between London and Hertford East, Stansted Airport, Clacton-on-Sea, Cambridge, Ipswich and Norwich are running as normal.

The train provider said: "Response teams are working around the clock and doing everything possible to safely restore the lines and resume normal train services as soon as possible."