Wickford Derailment: Second Train Comes Off Tracks in Essex Within 24 Hours

What we know about the Wickford derailment

British Transport Police confirmed that the rear carriages of the train, which was travelling to London Liverpool Street, had left the rails. Air ambulances were scrambled and, as the Mirror reported, all 62 passengers were assessed by ambulance crews. No injuries had been reported as of Friday evening. Pictures from the scene show the train upright in the gravel beside the track, and residents nearby said they felt their buildings shake.

It follows Thursday’s derailment near Lewes in East Sussex, where three carriages of a Southern service left the tracks on the hottest day of the year and 20 people were taken to hospital. The Rail Accident Investigation Branch has deployed a second team in as many days, and Network Rail has pointed to the strain placed on the network by the UK heatwave, which has already triggered amber health alerts across England.

The unprecedented hot and dry weather that we have experienced this summer has presented exceptional challenges to the railway.

Martin Frobisher, Network Rail

Frobisher urged the public not to speculate while investigators examine “all possible causes and factors”. Network Rail maintains that British trains remain “among the safest in the world”, a position backed by the Department for Transport, as reported by The Independent. National Rail is advising passengers on the affected routes not to travel, with major disruption expected to continue until further notice.