Rail Accident Investigation Branch releases report into derailment of a passenger train at Roudham Heath, near Thetford

Fallen trees caused the derailment of a passenger train near Thetford in February 2024, a report released today revealed.

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) report into the derailment at Roudham Heath, at about 8.53pm on February 6, said the train was travelling at about 83mph when it struck two trees which had fallen on to the track.

The train derailed and travelled for around 680 metres before coming to a stop.

One of the 31 passengers suffered a minor injury but there were no other injuries to passengers or train staff.

However, the train and infrastructure were damaged, with the line closed for a day while repairs took place.

The two trees were part of Thetford Forest, which is next to the railway and owned and managed by Forestry England.

One of the trees, a twin-stemmed pine tree, fell first, landing on and felling an adjacent oak tree.

Because it was standing in highly saturated, sandy soil, the pine tree suffered from a loss of root anchorage and, because of the way it had grown and its proximity to the railway, it was more likely to land over the tracks in the event of it falling, said the report.

Tree inspections by Network Rail and Forestry England had not identified any cause for concern, so no action had been taken to reduce the likelihood of the tree falling.

RAIB’s investigation found the risk imposed by trees standing in saturated soil was not effectively managed by either Forestry England or Network Rail – this was an underlying factor to the accident.

There was no significant damage to the train cab following the collision. Meanwhile, an axle-mounted brake disc on the train which engaged with one of the rails helped to contain the train’s path during the derailment.

RAIB has made two recommendations, one addressed to Forestry England and one to Network Rail: Both ask the organisations to review their processes for inspecting and managing trees within falling distance of the railway; to consider the effects of high soil saturation levels on the risk of trees falling and to make any appropriate changes.

The aim of RAIB independent investigations is to prevent future accidents and incidents and improve railway safety – RAIB does not establish blame, liability or carry out prosecutions.