Most of the line is closed east of South Tottenham while Network Rail carries out emergency repairs. The derailment has also cut c2c services and disrupted freight at London Gateway and Tilbury.
Commuters in north and east London face major disruption in the coming days, with most of the Overground’s Suffragette line closed. There will be no service between South Tottenham and Barking Riverside until at least the end of the week, according to Transport for London (TfL). The closure follows the derailment of a freight train near Barking, which has led to emergency repair work by Network Rail. National Rail says the incident is expected to affect services until at least 5am on Friday 30 October, though that is not a guaranteed reopening time.
What TfL has said
The rest of the line, which normally runs between Gospel Oak in north London and Barking Riverside in east London, remains open. Trains run every 30 minutes between Gospel Oak and South Tottenham. London Underground and London Buses are accepting tickets via any reasonable route.
The stations without a service are Blackhorse Road, Walthamstow Queens Road, Leyton Midland Road, Leytonstone High Road, Wanstead Park, Woodgrange Park, Barking and Barking Riverside.
A TfL spokesperson said: “We apologise to any Suffragette line customers whose journeys are impacted following the derailment of a freight train near Barking. Disruption is expected to continue throughout next week, although timescales may change due to the complexity of the repairs.”
The spokesperson added: “Customers are advised to allow extra time for their journeys and check before they travel for the latest information using TfL Journey Planner or the TfL Go app.”
The derailment
According to c2c, the incident happened at about 1.10pm on Friday 23 October. The train, operated by GB Railfreight, was a container service from London Gateway, and it partially derailed at Barking. It blocked platforms 7 and 8 at the station. No passengers were aboard and no injuries were reported. The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) was told and attended the scene.
National Rail identifies the damaged section as between Woodgrange Park and Barking. The line has not just been shut to recover the wagons, as the infrastructure also needs repairing. GBR Anglia chief operating officer Martin Beable said engineers were recovering the damaged wagon before completing track repairs, with about 1.2km of track to be renewed and detailed inspections needed before trains can return. A logistics-industry report describes damage to overhead electrical equipment, displaced wheel assemblies and container wagons. That explains why the disruption is expected to last days and not hours. The research notes say the cause has not been established. The RAIB has not published a finding, so it is too early to attribute the derailment to track defects, the train’s condition, the driver or the recent storms.
Knock-on effects
The disruption reaches beyond the Overground. c2c cannot run its usual service between Barking and Grays via Rainham, affecting Dagenham Dock, Rainham (Essex) and Purfleet. It says it has arranged ticket acceptance on certain Greater Anglia, TfL and First Essex bus services, and rail-replacement buses between Barking and Grays. Its alternatives include:
- Barking to Upminster: District line
- Dagenham Dock: EL2 bus to or from Barking and Dagenham Heathway
- Rainham and Purfleet: rail-replacement buses
- Upminster to Grays: replacement buses roughly every 30 minutes
- Liverpool Street to Southend: Greater Anglia, subject to ticket acceptance
- Rainham to Tilbury: Superloop SL12
- West Ham to Stratford: Jubilee line
c2c says passengers delayed by more than 15 minutes may be entitled to compensation under Delay Repay.
Freight is also affected. According to reports, rail freight movements at London Gateway have been severely reduced, and port operator DP World is working with customers and rail organisations to limit disruption. Forth Ports has told customers that no freight trains will run into or out of Tilbury and Tilbury2 during the affected week. Freight-industry reporting says the derailed train was heading for Hams Hall, near Birmingham. That has not been confirmed in a GB Railfreight statement.
