Barking reopening recedes into mid November

It’s proving very difficult to clear the 23 October Barking derailment. The intermodal freight train that came off the rails, blocking the East London station, has done more damage than originally estimated. Recovery and restoration, according to stakeholders, will take until at least next week. However, 10 November is now the published date for continuing passenger disruption, while the precise timetable for restoring normal freight services to Tilbury and London Gateway remains unclear.

The scale of the damage has emerged as engineers have been able to inspect the site more closely. More than a kilometre of railway infrastructure has been affected, including track, signalling equipment and cabling. Some sections cannot simply be repaired and must be completely rebuilt, according to sources. Meanwhile, the disruption continues to affect freight connections to two of the UK’s major container ports, with operators having to make alternative arrangements for moving containers by road.

The derailment occurred on Friday 23 October, when a GBRf operated intermodal freight train derailed between Barking and Woodgrange Park, en route from London Gateway to Hams Hall Birmingham. Nobody was injured, but the scale of the damage has proved considerably greater than initially anticipated. The derailed train required two wagons to be cut up on site, while more than half a mile of infrastructure required attention.

This story was originally published by RailFreight.com. Read the full story at RailFreight.com →