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Rail passengers led to safety as Norfolk tracks flood

Neil Adcock/BBC flooding on trackNeil Adcock/BBC
Six passengers on board the 07:25 Norwich to Lowestoft service were taken to safety

Rail passengers have been led to safety after flooded tracks stranded their train amid rising river levels.

Six people on the 07:25 Greater Anglia service between Norwich and Lowestoft were assisted when water undercut the railway on Sunday.

Stones supporting the tracks had been washed away, said Network Rail.

It said the issue near Haddiscoe was not a derailment and no-one had been hurt.

Removing the stricken train was the first priority, Network Rail added, saying disruption could last for a few days.

Operator Greater Anglia has apologised for service disruption, and said flood water was "making the railway unsafe" between Reedham and Haddiscoe and affecting main lines between Norwich, Lowestoft and Ipswich.

Replacement buses would operate on affected routes, it said.

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Environment Agency (EA) flood alerts issued for the area remain in place until Monday morning.

High water levels have flooded rural homes in St Olaves and Haddiscoe, close to the river Waveney.

The EA has issued a flood alert for the river, stretching from Ellingham to Breydon Water and including Beccles Quay and the villages of Oulton Broad, Somerleyton, St Olaves, Haddiscoe and Belton.

Flooding
The banks of the river Waveney have burst in some places causing flooding

The EA said it would continue to monitor the situation, with the flooding caused by "a natural tide-locking effect", as high tidal water restricted normal drainage out to sea.

Steve Silk floodingSteve Silk
A rail service between Norwich and Lowestoft was halted when river water made it to the tracks

A Network Rail spokesman said: "A very high tide and winds have caused ballast, the stones that support the tracks, to be washed away at Haddiscoe on the Norwich to Lowestoft line.

"Thankfully no one has been injured, all passengers on the train that reported the incident have been taken away safely and the train has not derailed. Engineers have been on site since Sunday morning and are assessing the situation.

"We expect the line to be closed for at least the next few days but will know more once the train has been removed, which is our first priority."

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