A defect in a railway track has been discovered where a train derailed last week near Lewes, East Sussex, investigators say – and it had been there before the accident.
Thirty people were injured, two seriously, when the rear three carriages left the tracks and tipped over onto the embankment.
Police declared a major incident when some passengers were trapped inside the carriages in scorching temperatures, while others walked along the sides of the overturned train to escape.
The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB), releasing its preliminary findings, now says rear-facing CCTV photos from trains on the day showed a defect on the line just outside Lewes railway station.
“CCTV images obtained from preceding services using these lines on 13 August show that a track geometry irregularity existed on the immediate approach to the point of derailment, prior to the accident occurring,” it said.
Investigators also say they have received reports from passengers on other trains of “rough riding” at that spot before the crash happened.
About 150 people had been on the train, which was travelling from London Victoria to Eastbourne via Haywards Heath and Lewes on Thursday.
One survivor later described the experience as “completely terrifying”.
“There was a banging. Everything just went topsy-turvy,” said 56-year-old Yana Ludwig, from the United States.
“It seemed like a really long time, but it probably was 10 seconds of that before the carriage actually fell on the side.”
Rob Bradley, who was on board with his young daughter, told how his carriage “jumped upwards” as passengers were thrown forwards.
“The train kind of skidded for quite a while before it stopped.
“Only then, when we turned around, did we see the whole back of the train was open and smoke and dust were pouring into the carriage.”
Ambulance crews, air ambulances, critical care paramedics, fire crews and police rushed to the scene.
Of the people hurt, 20 needed hospital treatment, two of them with serious injuries, while “significant damage” was caused to the train and railway infrastructure, RAIB said.
One witness said they saw some people with head injuries and blood down their clothing.
Josh Parker, 22, who was travelling home from work when the train came off the tracks, filmed himself and other passengers climbing out of a sideways carriage and walking on the outside.
Rail experts say they are analysing data from the black box from the front vehicle, and data from the remaining recorders on the train will also be obtained.
Preliminary analysis shows the driver applied the train’s brakes as it passed the point of derailment, and that the train, which had been going at around 65mph, had started to slow down. The maximum speed on that stretch of line is 70mph.
CCTV recordings, signalling data and radio communications data have also been obtained, the investigators say. The train, track and embankment have been surveyed using various methods including laser scanning and aerial photography.
The accident happened at the height of last week’s heatwave, when temperatures in the southeast reached the high 30s.
RAIB said its investigation would consider the weather, as well as the status of the track, embankment, condition of the train and the effectiveness of any measures taken to address potential issues caused by hot weather.
The experts say the land there “is sensitive to variations in water content and may undergo movement as moisture levels change”. They said: “Although, at this stage, there is no evidence to indicate that a significant embankment slip occurred before the accident, there is evidence that some movement had previously taken place.”
Evidence of previous track maintenance activity in the area has been seen.
The railway line will remain closed for at least another week. Network Rail and Southern Rail said the carriages that fell would need to be carefully lifted away by crane.
They said the location made the removal particularly difficult because the railway is close to a river, in a site of special scientific interest, and restricted road access via a residential area. The RAIB said its experts would ensure that evidence was preserved while doing this.
Once the train, 1F34, has been removed, engineers will be able to assess the damage to the railway and “understand the scale of the repair work needed before services can resume safely”.
The RAIB has promised to publish its findings, including any recommendations to improve safety, at the end of its investigation.
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