Train derailment caused by 'kink' in the track

A train derailment was caused by a "misalignment" or "kink" in the railway track, initial inquiries have found.

The Greater Anglia service had been heading to London Liverpool Street from Southend Victoria, but came off the tracks about 2.1 miles (3.4km) south of Wickford station in Essex on 14 August.

It remained upright, but its rear carriage was dragged across sleepers and ballast for about 1.5 miles (2.4km) .

Sixty-two passengers were onboard and the driving cab was rocked by the impact at 14:08 BST, the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) said.

The watchdog is due to present the findings of its full investigation at a later date.

Services in the area were plunged into chaos as all trains were cancelled in response to the incident, and they finally resumed on Wednesday.

"There was significant damage caused to the track, signalling and overhead electrification equipment," the RAIB said.

Nobody was injured but the train, which was travelling at 77mph (124km/h), suffered damage, as did another passing by that was struck by flying ballast.

"The driver reported seeing a kink in the track which rocked the driving cab as the train passed over it," the RAIB continued.

"Forward-facing CCTV recovered from the train involved shows a misalignment in the track at the same location as the driver's report and the point of derailment."

The driver was in the process of reporting the track condition to the signaller when they received an emergency call from the second train, causing them to break.

One passenger told the BBC the train "swung wildly for about 10 seconds" after derailing.

Factors the RAIB said it was investigating included:

• The actions of those involved
• The status of the track and how it was maintained
• The effectiveness of any mitigation measures to address the risk of operating trains in hot weather

The incident happened less than 24 hours after two passengers were seriously injured in a separate derailment in East Sussex.

Jamie Burles, the managing director of Great British Railways Anglia, said: "While the line between Wickford and Shenfield has now reopened, we are very sorry for the disruption this incident caused.

"Thankfully, incidents like this are extremely rare on Britain's railways which remain among the safest in the world but, when they do happen, we are determined to fully understand why."

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