Derailments
An HST derails at London Paddington, less than a week after a GB Railfreight intermodal derails at Ely.
A freight train derailed at Ely West Junction on August 14, forcing the closure of the Ely-Peterborough line for a week.
GB Railfreight’s 1118 Felixstowe-Doncaster intermodal, hauled by 66713, derailed on the Down Main at about 1430. Ten wagons were derailed, but stayed upright despite ending up in a leaning position.
The train was reported to be carrying dangerous goods with non-toxic, flammable liquid located in the rear container. There was no fire, and GBRf confirmed nobody was injured.
A set of points and a quarter of a mile of track was destroyed in the accident. As this issue of RAIL went to press, no cause for the accident had been established.
The wagons had to be lifted by crane, but because there is no easy road access to the site, combined with the boggy nature of the surrounding land, this was carried out by a rail crane. Lifting of the wagons was completed on August 17, after which Network Rail set about repairing damage to the railway.
Simon Ancona, Network Rail’s chief operating officer for Anglia, said: “Our engineers and specialist teams have worked tirelessly over the last week to recover the derailed wagons and carry out
major repair work so that services can resume as planned.”
With the Ely to Peterborough line closed, operators were forced to divert or cancel trains. CrossCountry’s Birmingham New Street-Stansted Airport service was cut in two, with a shuttle running from the Airport to Ely, and between Peterborough and Birmingham. East Midlands Trains ran from Liverpool to Peterborough and between Ely and Norwich, while Greater Anglia’s trains from Peterborough to Ipswich and Colchester began and terminated at Bury St Edmunds so as not to cause congestion at Ely. Passengers were able to divert their journeys via London, or travel by bus.
Freight trains to and from East Anglia were diverted either via the Great Eastern Main Line to Felixstowe, or via the East Coast Main Line to Welwyn Garden City before running to the region via Royston and Cambridge.
The railway reopened on August 21, although the first EMT service from Norwich was cancelled as rolling stock was not in the correct location to complete rostered duties.