Eastleigh derailed train: Delays likely for 'several weeks'

Six wagons came off the track at Eastleigh on Tuesday

Rail services are not likely to return to normal for several weeks following the derailment of a freight train.

Six wagons came off the track at Eastleigh on Tuesday, blocking the line between Southampton and Basingstoke, and damaging points equipment.

Temporary track will allow services to resume on Monday but passengers for Eastleigh will face further diversions.

South Western Railway's managing director said the derailment had been in the "worst possible place".

Four wagons that remained on the site were cleared on Thursday and work has begun to install temporary track to allow services to resume on Monday.

South Western Railway said trains running on the main line from Winchester to Southampton will be unable to stop at Eastleigh for several weeks while the new track is designed and constructed.

Specialist lifting equipment was brought in to move the stricken freight train carriages

Mark Hopwood, managing director of South Western Railway (SWR), told the BBC that Network Rail's response to the derailment had been "slower than we would have liked".

But he added: "They've had to slice through concrete bearers, and assess whether the rest of the bearer can take the load. It is quite complex engineering.

"And it is in the worst possible place, right on the points that control some of the most critical train movements on the network.

"No-one wants to see the railway closed for six days, and things have been quite bad. But everyone is working hard to get this temporary fix in place."

A Network Rail spokesman previously said engineers were "working around the clock to get the railway back open as quickly and as safely as possible".

Meanwhile, buses continue to replace cancelled and diverted services.

Several CrossCountry, SWR and Southern routes are affected by the disruption.

A Rail Accident Investigation Branch report is expected to take months to complete.

The derailment damaged points equipment