Following an incident involving a Greater Anglia train, the Rail Accident Investigation Branch has released its report.
The incident happed at around 07:45 on the 30th January 2022. A Greater Anglia train was travelling from Norwich to Lowestoft and ran onto a washed out section of railway line between Reedham (Norfolk) and Haddiscoe.
The train was carrying five passengers, a driver, and a guard. The driver saw that the track was flooded ahead, so stopped his train, and it was only when the train had come to a stop did the ballast beneath him was washing away.
The driver's situation worsened when, as he went to reverse his train, the section of ballast completely washed away and left a large hole underneath the train.
With the train leaning to one side as the driver tried to reverse, so the driver made the decision to stop and evacuate the train.
In its investigation, the RAIB found that on the day of the incident, unusually high water levels were in the area due to a tidal surge and tidal locking, and low spots in the flood defences allowed the water to enter the railway.
Network Rail was not aware that water was entering this area of railway, and the RAIB found that NR's flood risk process was not effective at warning them that the track at Haddiscoe was at risk of flooding.
As a result of its investigation, the RAIB has made five recommendations:
- The first is made to the Environment Agency and Network Rail and aims to ensure that railway‑related flood risk is managed appropriately alongside Haddiscoe Cut.
- The second and third recommendations are made to Network Rail and concern the integration of flood risk into their weather management strategies.
- The fourth recommendation is intended to improve interaction between Network Rail and those organisations responsible for tidal flood defences in England and Wales, while the final recommendation is intended to improve these interactions in Scotland.
