Haddiscoe: Probe starts into flood stranded train incident

Passengers on board the 07:25 Norwich to Lowestoft service were taken to safety after the incident

An investigation has begun into a train journey that terminated en route when tracks flooded.

Six people on the service between Norwich and Lowestoft had to be led to safety when the train ran on to a washed-out section of line at Haddiscoe, Norfolk, on 30 January.

It took until the next morning for the train to be safely moved.

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) said it would look at what led to the incident.

It said although no-one was hurt in the incident and the train was subsequently recovered undamaged, the washout caused damage to the track and the supporting ballast.

The line was closed for a week while repairs took place.

A close-up photo shows where the ballast supporting the track was washed away

RAIB said the incident on the 07:25 service happened after a tidal surge that impeded drainage from the Broadland rivers and raised the level of the Haddiscoe New Cut so that water overtopped the flood defences.

The Environment Agency had issued a flood warning but the water level at Reedham and Haddiscoe was not predicted to be higher than the flood defences.

RAIB said its investigation would consider the management of the flood defences in the area and the adequacy of the flood warning systems used by the railway industry.

A tidal surge raised the level of the Haddiscoe New Cut so that water overtopped the flood defences, rail investigators said

It would also consider Network Rail's knowledge of the condition of assets external to the railway, such as flood defences and any underlying factors.

Its findings would be published in due course.

The section of track affected by the flooding can be seen in the centre of this photo

At the time Greater Anglia, the train operator, gave "full credit" to the driver of the train and the crew "who made a very quick assessment that in the interest of passenger safety they would take those passengers off the train".

It said it was a very "complex operation" to move the train.