The Lewes train derailment on Thursday afternoon left at least 11 people injured after three carriages of a Southern Railway service tipped onto their sides on an embankment between Haywards Heath and Lewes, with British Transport Police declaring a major incident.
Two people sustained serious injuries and nine others suffered less serious wounds. All passengers have been safely evacuated from the service, British Transport Police confirmed.
How the Lewes train derailment unfolded
The train, travelling from London Victoria to Eastbourne on the Southern Railway network, came off the rails at approximately 3.54pm. Emergency services, including police, ambulance, fire crews and engineers, were deployed to the scene. Air ambulances were also reported at the site.
Patients were assessed and treated at the scene, with some transported to local hospitals, British Transport Police said.
A passenger who managed to exit the train described the carriage ‘jumping vertically upwards’ at the moment of derailment. Speaking to the BBC, he said: ‘We felt the train speeding up and starting to rock, and at that point we knew something was very strange, and then our carriage actually jumped vertically upwards, and we could tell there was a derailment.’
He added: ‘The emergency brakes then went on the train and everything got thrown forward, and only then when we turned around did we see that the whole back of the train, literally where we were sat, was open. There was smoke and dust pouring into the carriage, and we could then see that the outside fifth carriage had gone on its side, and I just assumed there’d been a decoupling further up the track.’
He said three carriages had ‘slid all the way down the embankment on their side into the lower field’, with air ambulances flying in to support those critically injured.
A second passenger, speaking to the BBC, reported seeing people with visible head injuries as he left the train. ‘There were a number of people sat in ambulances that had had bad head injuries, and there was visible signs of blood on their heads and, you know, down their clothing,’ he said.
Investigation under way into the Lewes train derailment
The Rail Accident Investigation Branch deployed a team to the scene to begin gathering evidence. Assistant Chief Constable Ian Drummond-Smith said: ‘We’ve declared a major incident and a significant emergency service response is ongoing at the scene, but all passengers on the train have now been safely evacuated from the service. Our thoughts are of course with everyone affected, and I’d like to reassure the public that we’re supporting the Rail Accident Investigation Branch to establish exactly what’s happened.’
Photos from the scene appeared to show a bend in the tracks at the point of derailment. Railway engineer Gareth Dennis told The Independent that ‘the damage here is as likely to be caused by the train as it derailed down the embankment, so very difficult to confirm a buckle with the available evidence.’ The Independent said it had contacted Network Rail for further comment.
Separately, the article noted that rail tracks can buckle when steel rails expand in heat, with rails in direct sunlight potentially running up to 20C hotter than air temperature, according to Network Rail. Whether track buckling played any role in Thursday’s derailment remains unclear, with the Rail Accident Investigation Branch continuing its investigation.
Travel disruption and official response
Transport secretary Heidi Alexander said she was ‘deeply concerned’ by the incident. James MacCleary, the MP for Lewes, wrote on Facebook: ‘I am aware of very concerning reports of a train crash in the Lewes area this afternoon. This is clearly a very serious and developing incident, and my thoughts are with everyone affected.’
Southern Railway advised passengers not to travel, warning that no trains can run between Lewes and Haywards Heath and that trains between Brighton, Lewes, Eastbourne and Seaford are mostly cancelled. Travellers attempting to reach Gatwick Airport were advised to add at least 150 minutes to their journey to meet flight connections.
Major disruption is expected to continue until at least the end of the day, Southern Railway said, with passengers urged to check journey planners and speak to station staff for the latest information.
