From: South Western Railway
Date: 28 January 2020 at 8:07:59 pm GMT
To: Nikki.barton@haslemeretc.org
Subject: Information about derailment at Eastleigh on 28 January 2020

Dear Nikki,

Good evening. I’m writing to inform you that following a derailment of a freight train near Eastleigh station earlier today, customers have faced severe disruption. Unfortunately, this disruption is likely to continue into tomorrow morning.

The derailment affects around 5 wagons of the freight train and it will take some considerable time to re-rail the wagons and assess any damage to the track.

One line is currently open for services heading towards London Waterloo from Southampton, but a bus replacement service is in operation for passengers travelling in the opposite direction between Basingstoke and Southampton. Other services are being diverted via Cosham, although this will result in a much longer journey.

The derailment occurred in a key location on the mainline between Southampton and Waterloo which has resulted in severe disruption to services on our network. It was not possible to immediately remove the freight train as the RAIB needed to investigate the incident, as per industry procedures. Given position of the train, removing the wagons will require all lines through Eastleigh to be blocked. It is estimated that it could take around 18 hours until the affected wagons are recovered and removed. However, this process has yet to begin.

We are working very closely with Network Rail to ensure lines reopen as soon as possible in order to minimise any further disruption. We are sorry for the impact this is having on our customers.

Yours sincerely

Stakeholder Team
South Western Railway