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Derailment near Lewes
A passenger train derailed and flipped on its side in southern England near Lewes in East Sussex on Thursday, prompting paramedics and fire crews to respond to reports that the incident occurred shortly before 4:00 pm.
“Officers are currently on scene close to Lewes railway station following reports of a derailed train at 3.54pm today (13 August).”
British Transport Police said in a statement that officers were on scene close to Lewes railway station following reports of a derailed train at 3.54pm today (13 August), and the rail operator Southern Rail said emergency services were making their way to the scene.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said she was “deeply concerned” by the incident and thanked emergency responders, while the BBC reported there were believed to be “no serious injuries or fatalities,” citing government sources.
The derailment disrupted rail travel across southern England, and the Rail Accident Investigation Branch launched an inquiry into what went wrong as images circulated showing at least three overturned carriages off the tracks.
Heidi Alexander and passengers
In updates posted on X, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said, “Deeply concerned of reports of a derailment involving a Southern train in Lewes, Sussex,” and she added that she was working quickly with the rail industry and local partners to assist passengers.
The BBC quoted passenger Rob Bradley saying, “We are doing OK, we were very lucky we were on the fourth carriage,” after he described how the emergency brakes went on and the train “thrown forward” during the derailment.
British Transport Police said it was responding alongside paramedics and the fire service and would provide more information as soon as it could, while East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service said it was called at 3.55pm to reports that a train had derailed just outside Lewes.
Network Rail and Southern Rail said trains through the area were suspended, and the BBC reported the latest understanding from a government source was “no serious injuries or fatalities,” as emergency teams worked at the scene.
Disruption and investigation
The Rail Accident Investigation Branch said it was deploying a team of inspectors to the site of a passenger train derailment near to Lewes, East Sussex, to begin gathering evidence, as emergency services continued working at the scene.
“major disruption expected until 22:00.”
Network Rail said the 14:24 BST Southern passenger service from London Victoria to Eastbourne came off the tracks in the Lewes area close to the town's railway station shortly before 16:00 BST, and it said the derailment closed all lines running through the station with major disruption expected until 22:00.
Southern advised passengers not to travel between Brighton, Lewes, Haywards Heath, Seaford and Eastbourne for the rest of the day, and it told travelers to Gatwick to allow “at least an extra 150 minutes for your journey” or use an alternative route.
CNN reported that some train services were canceled and others were running at reduced speeds due to a heatwave, with temperatures in some parts of southern England reaching 35 degrees Celsius, while National Rail warned of “major disruption” for the next several hours.
