Derailment of a passenger train at Lewes

Investigation into the derailment of a passenger train at Lewes, East Sussex, 13 August 2026.

At around 15:54 on Thursday 13 August 2026, train 1F34, the 14:24 London Victoria to Eastbourne passenger service, operated by Southern (Greater Thameslink Railway), derailed at Lewes in East Sussex. The derailment took place around 1 mile (1.6 kilometres) north of Lewes station.

Train 1F34 was formed of eight vehicles. The rear three vehicles derailed and subsequently overturned during the accident, coming to rest on their sides on the railway’s embankment. The front five vehicles did not derail.

Around 150 people were on the train when it derailed. There were 30 people injured in the accident, with 20 people requiring hospital treatment, some with serious injuries. Significant damage was caused to the train and to railway infrastructure.

RAIB was notified of the accident at 16:02 and immediately deployed a team of inspectors and support staff to the site, with the first inspectors arriving at 19:11. RAIB’s team worked alongside the British Transport Police, the Office of Rail and Road, and the railway companies involved, to secure and recover the necessary evidence to support our independent safety investigation.

Aerial view of the site (courtesy of Network Rail).

RAIB released the site of the accident to Network Rail at 14:09 on Saturday 15 August 2026, to allow for repair of the infrastructure and recovery of the train. RAIB inspectors and support staff continued to work at the site of the accident until Monday 17 August.

The recovery of the train will be complex and will include the derailed vehicles being lifted by rail crane and moved by road to secure storage. RAIB’s liaison with rail industry recovery teams to facilitate this work, and to ensure that evidence is preserved, is ongoing.