On the 9th and 10th July, Greater Anglia hosted an emergency response test in Norwich.

The live exercise at Crown Point Depot was attended by over 200 emergency services, rail, and disaster support staff.

They tested the plans and procedures already in place to manage a major incident.

An example scenario of a train derailment after hitting a landslide was used for testing how staff responded following existing guidelines.

40 volunteers took part playing the part of trapped passengers, where they were given scenario cards with instructions on how to act.

Some injuries were also made more prominent with makeup, such as fractures and head wounds.

The East of England Ambulance Service, Norfolk Fire and Rescue, British Transport Police and Norfolk Constabulary all worked together to ‘triage and evacuate’.

Network Rail, the Rail Accident Investigation Branch and the Rapid Relief Team were also present to add to the realism.

“This mammoth two-day exercise was seven months in the making. Its sole aim was to test the joint response, communication, collaborative working, and emergency procedures of everyone involved in this major incident scenario.

“It is very important that we hold these exercises to test procedures so that, if the worst should ever happen, we are as fully prepared and practiced as possible. Of course, our first priority is to do everything possible to prevent such an event ever taking place, but it is important that we also prepare for such an eventuality. We’re grateful to everyone who took part.”

Matt Wakefield, Greater Anglia’s Safety, Security and Sustainability Director