Major Rail Disruption Expected To Continue After Lewes Derailment

Two people were seriously injured and around 20 people were taken to hospital after a Southern train derailed near Lewes yesterday.

The London Victoria to Eastbourne service came off the tracks shortly before 4pm on Thursday, prompting a major emergency response involving police, fire crews, paramedics and specialist rescue teams.

Around 150 people were on board at the time of the derailment.

The line between Lewes and Haywards Heath remains closed while investigators examine the train and railway infrastructure, with major disruption expected to continue until further notice.

Rail replacement buses are running between Haywards Heath and Lewes, calling at Plumpton and Cooksbridge, while passengers are being advised to allow at least an extra hour for their journeys.

Services between London Victoria and Eastbourne or Ore have been suspended in both directions, with passengers for Eastbourne and Hastings advised to travel via Brighton.

Greater Thameslink Railway chief executive John Whitehurst said derailments are “incredibly rare” and insisted the railway remains safe in hot weather.

He said: “The railway is safe. These types of incidents are incredibly rare.

“We have control processes in place that involve inspection, temporary speed restrictions, or even suspending services if that’s required.”

Images from the scene showed several carriages on their sides and a section of track visibly distorted, although it has not yet been established whether the condition of the track contributed to the derailment or resulted from it.

A safety inspection had been carried out on the same stretch of railway less than 24 hours before the incident.

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch has launched an investigation and Network Rail said it would be inappropriate to speculate on the cause while enquiries continue.

Southern passengers with unused tickets from Thursday who were unable to travel because of the disruption are being allowed to use them today at no additional cost.