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Haddiscoe: Train stranded after poor flood management

Neil Adcock/BBC flooding on trackNeil Adcock/BBC
Passengers on board the 07:25 Norwich to Lowestoft service were taken to safety after the incident

Poor flood management led to a train having to evacuate after becoming stranded when tracks flooded, an investigation found.

The service between Norwich and Lowestoft ran on to a washed-out section of line at Haddiscoe, Norfolk on 30 January 2022.

There had been unusually high water levels on the day, the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) said.

The RAIB has made a series of recommendations.

The driver, guard and five passengers were un-hurt in the incident.

Washout, caused by a combination of tidal surge and tidal locking, damaged the track and the supporting ballast and the line was closed for a week for repairs.

The RAIB found localised low spots in flood defences next to the track had caused the water to get onto the railway.

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.

It said Network Rail had not been aware water was entering the railway which is why it had not alerted the driver to prevent him entering that part of the track .

Network Rail Train on track affected by floodingNetwork Rail
A close-up photo shows where the ballast supporting the track was washed away

Network Rail's flood risk management processes were "not effective" at warning that the track at Haddiscoe was at serious risk of flooding, the RAIB found.

It also said there had been no requirement for the Environment Agency to account for localised flooding and the impact on the railway.

Network Rail and the Environment Agency were not "effectively collaborating" meaning there was no joint strategy to protect the railway from flooding in this area, the RAIB said.

The RAIB has made five recommendations to Network Rail and the Environment Agency.

Track where a train was stranded
The section of track affected by the flooding can be seen in the centre of this photo

It said both agencies should ensure railway related flood risk is managed appropriately at Haddiscoe Cut and that Network Rail should focus on integrating flood risk into weather management strategies.

It also asked Network Rail to improve communication with organisations responsible for tidal flood defences in England and Wales and Scotland.

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