Summary

  • Emergency services are responding after a London-bound train carrying up to 45 passengers derailed in Wickford, Essex

  • British Transport Police says "the rear carriages of a train derailed in an upright position" at 14:12 BST, adding there are no reported injuries - its statement in full

  • "The train swung wildly for about 10 seconds," one passenger tells the BBC, while a nearby business owner says her office "rattled and sort of shook"

  • National Rail says major disruption is expected "until further notice"

  • It comes a day after a separate train derailment in Lewes, Sussex - the cause of that incident is still being investigated

  • Responding to the derailment, the Department for Transport says Britain's railways are "amongst the safest in the world"

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Live Reporting

Edited by James Hore, with Alex Stevanovic at the scene in Wickford and Lewis Adams writing

  1. Major disruption to continue for the rest of Friday

    National Rail says major disruption is now expected to continue "until at least the end of the day" today.

    Earlier it had said delays would be felt until 18:00 BST.

  2. 'The train swung wildly for about 10 seconds,' passenger tells BBC

    Jon Young has taken a selfie with a member of Greater Anglia staff. Both are walking along the railway line next to the train and wearing pale blue shirts.Jon Young

    Jon Young got off the train with a member of Greater Anglia staff who was on board

    Jon Young, 37, from Brentwood was on the train that derailed and says everybody he's seen is OK.

    He tells the BBC: "The train swung wildly for around 10 seconds, like it was about to tilt over."

    "It then carried on going for a couple of minutes but there was a horrible vibrating sound, so something obviously wasn't right," he adds.

    "Then the train then came to a halt and there was smoke coming from the back carriage."

    He says that people "panicked" and ran up the train, before they "calmed down" and waited for help to arrive.

    Young says emergency services helped him down from the train onto the side of the tracks.

    A banner with a purple background and white text that reads Your Voice.

  3. Police securing the scene with tape

    Alex Stevanovic
    Reporting from Wickford

    Police officers pull blue and white tape across the road, where various police cars are parked.Alex Stevanovic/BBC

    Police are now putting up blue and white tape in Salcott Crescent as they look to secure the scene.

    They are closing it at the junction with Pebmarsh Drive

  4. Railway director urges people not to speculate about the incident

    Martin Frobisher, a director at Network Rail, says teams are working to establish what caused the derailment.

    He says two carriages came off the track - but remained upright - and no significant injuries have been reported.

    "We would ask people to avoid speculating on the cause of any incidents until further information is available," Frobisher adds.

  5. Neighbour heard 'almighty crunching' from the railway line

    Aaron Poyser has dark hair and is wearing sunglasses and a white vest. He is standing in front of emergency crews at the scene.Alex Stevanovic/BBC

    Aaron Poyser, who lives next to the railway line, was in the garden when he heard an "almighty crunching sound".

    "It’s almost like someone was shovelling stones. I saw this plume of dust and smoke," he says.

    "You could see the train had come off the tracks. It was quite scary, to be honest."

  6. What we know so far

    Railworkers and police stand next to a partially derailed train in Wickford, EssexPA Media

    A Greater Anglia passenger train has derailed in Essex, the second such incident in the UK in two days. Here's what we know so far:

    • British Transport Police says they have received reports that the rear carriages of the train derailed in an upright position at 14:12 BST in Wickford
    • It is a Southend to Liverpool Street train, which left Rayleigh at 14:06 but failed to reach Wickford at 14:11 as planned
    • About 40 to 45 passengers were on board the London-bound train, Basildon Borough Council says
    • No major injuries have been reported, but air ambulances have been seen landing in an open space near the location of the derailment, while railway workers, paramedics and police are also responding
    • All services between Southend Victoria and London Liverpool Street have been cancelled, National Rail says, while services between Wickford and Southminster are also affected
    A map showing the location of the train derailment near Wickford, with the locations of train stops Rayleigh, Southend Airport and Southend Victoria also labelled.

  7. Britain's railways 'among the safest in the world' - Department for Transport

    The Department for Transport has stressed Britain's railways are "among the safest in the world" as it reacts to today's incident.

    "The train is upright, there are no reported injuries and investigators have already been deployed to the site," it says.

    "Our railways remain amongst the safest in the world and while incidents like this are extremely rare, when they do occur, they are taken very seriously."

  8. Business owner's office 'shook' when train derailed

    James Kelly
    BBC Your Voice

    With brown hair tied back and large black glasses wearing a black v-neck top. She is standing outside a light bricked building in a car park that is out of focus.

    Danielle Belton runs a business on an industrial estate near to where the train derailed.

    She says the noise was so loud it shook her office.

    "We're used to hearing the trains go past all the time, but we heard what sounded like a crash," says Belton, who is a Conservative councillor in neighbouring Rochford.

    "There was a big, loud noise and then the unit rattled and sort of shook.

    “All the girls in my office, we all kind of went, 'blimey, what was that?'. You felt the office rattle and you heard the loud noise."

  9. Bushes blocking the scene of the derailment from onlookers

    Alex Stevanovic
    Reporting from Wickford

    "There are residents out in the road just looking at the train, says the BBC's Alex Stevanovic.

    "Emergency services are also here, including plenty of police cars and ambulances.

    "The train is behind a row of bushes so you can't quite see it properly from this spot in Salcott Crescent," he adds.

  10. Council leader thanks emergency crews at the scene

    We've heard from Andy Barnes, the Conservative leader of Basildon Borough Council - in whose authority area Wickford is based.

    "I would like to thank all of the emergency services who are currently responding to this incident," he says.

    "Our thoughts are with everyone affected, and we sincerely hope that all those involved are safe and well."

  11. Pictures show ambulance at the scene

    Alex Stevanovic, a BBC reporter at the scene in Salcott Crescent, has sent these images.

    They show railway workers, paramedics and police all responding to the derailment.

    Railway workers in hi-vis, police officers and an ambulance all in a residential road in Wickford. The railway line is pictured out of shot behind some trees to the left.Alex Stevanovic/BBC
    Police cars and an ambulance parked in a residential road. A crowd of people have gathered to watch.Alex Stevanovic/BBC
  12. BBC Verify

    What we know about the train derailment in Essex

    An image of a derailed train that has come off the tracks next to a fence in Essex..

    By James Kelly and Richard Irvine-Brown

    BBC Verify is analysing images from a train derailment in Essex.

    Images show a Greater Anglia train with at least one carriage that has come off the rails in Wickford, Essex.

    The derailment happened near an overhead walkway between Salcott Crescent and Russell Gardens, 1km (0.7 miles) east of Wickford station.

    Images also show air ambulances landing in an open space a further 800m to the east, near Meresa Crescent.

    Data from the website OpenTrainTimes shows the train was a Southend to Liverpool Street train, which left Rayleigh at 14:06 but failed to reach Wickford at 14:11 as planned.

    The images above and below this post have been verified.

    An image of a derailed train that has come off the tracks next to a fence in Essex - image taken at a side angle..

  13. Up to 45 passengers were on board the London-bound train

    There were about 40 to 45 passengers onboard the train, Basildon Borough Council says.

    It was travelling from Southend towards London and "no major injuries have been reported", according to the local authority.

    "Council officers are also at the scene and are liaising with partner agencies," a spokesman says.

    "The council is in contact with emergency services and other partners and is providing support as required."

    They add that an air ambulance landed at the scene as a precaution.

  14. Air ambulances land in nearby field

    Images show air ambulance crews landing in a field near the derailed train in Wickford, Essex.

    British Transport Police said earlier there were no reported injuries.

    Stay with us for the latest updates.

    Helicopters in a field in Essex.No credit
    Helicopter flying over a house in Wickford, Essex.No credit

  16. 'I was shocked', says eyewitness

    Anna Johnson
    BBC East

    An eyewitness tells me people were "in shock" at the scene of the derailment.

    He says groups of people have already gathered in the area in response.

    "A couple of people were in shock," the man says, speaking anonymously.

    "No one was off the train when I was there - the train was just off the track.

    "I was quite shocked. It's not something you see every day, or you hear about often - especially on the UK railway."

    As a reminder, a train also derailed near Lewes, East Sussex, yesterday.

  17. Major disruption will continue 'until further notice'

    Network Rail is now saying that major disruption is expected to continue "until further notice".

    Earlier it had said delays would continue until 18:00 BST.

    We'll continue bringing updates - including when services may resume - as this incident unfolds.

  18. Rail accident investigators deployed to Wickford

    Inspectors from the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) have been sent to Wickford.

    "RAIB has deployed a team of inspectors to the site of a passenger train derailment at Wickford, Essex to begin gathering evidence," the organisation says on X.

  19. Services to Southminster also affected

    Services between Wickford and Southminster, which is on a different line to London Liverpool Street, are also affected.

    National Rail says the situation is "under investigation" and all services between Liverpool Street and Southend Victoria will be cancelled.

    "Major disruption is expected to continue until further notice," it repeats.

  20. No rail replacement buses running, says Greater Anglia

    Train operator Greater Anglia is urging passengers on the affected route not to travel until further notice.

    But asked by one user on X if rail replacement buses will be running, it says there is no such plan at present.