Wickford train derailment caused by 'kink' in the track - RAIB

A train derailment was caused by a "misalignment" or "kink" in the railway track, initial inquiries have found. The Greater Anglia service had been heading to London Liverpool Street from Southend Victoria, but came off the tracks about 2.1 miles (3.4km) south of Wickford station in Essex on 14 August. It remained upright, but its rear carriage was dragged across sleepers and ballast for about 1.5 miles (2.4km) . Sixty-two passengers were onboard and the driving cab was rocked by the impact at 14:08 BST, the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) said. The watchdog is due to present the findings of its full investigation at a later date.

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Scoop News DeskWickford · Published Friday, August 28, 2026 at 11:16 AM UTCUpdated Saturday, August 29, 2026 at 2:27 PM UTC

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Factors the RAIB said it was investigating included: The incident happened less than 24 hours after two passengers were seriously injured in a separate derailment in East Sussex . Services in the area were plunged into chaos as all trains were cancelled in response to the incident, and they finally resumed on Wednesday . "There was significant damage caused to the track, signalling and overhead electrification equipment," the RAIB said.

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