Emergency services have been attending to a passenger train derailment near Lewes on 13th August 2026 after rear carriages of a Southern rail service slipped off the tracks during record-breaking summer temperatures.
The incident occurred at approximately 3:30 p.m. involving the London Victoria to Eastbourne service. Several rear carriages partially derailed and turned onto their sides shortly before reaching Lewes station.
Two passengers suffered serious injuries and 18 others were less seriously injured in the derailment, which happened with 150 people on board.
The derailment coincided with intense climate conditions across Southern England, where local temperatures reached a peak of 38.1°C, marking one of the hottest days on record. Rail safety experts and industry investigators are currently evaluating whether heat-induced track buckling - a phenomenon where steel rails warp under extreme thermal stress - contributed to the incident.
The Rail Accidents Investigation Branch (RAIB) has launched a formal investigation to determine the exact cause of the derailment and assess existing thermal speed restrictions on the network.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cly5252xqdvt
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