News story

Derailment at Carpenters Road North Junction

Derailment at of a freight wagon around Carpenters Road North Junction, East London, 11 June 2019.

This news article was withdrawn on

This item has been moved to the National Archives as RAIB has published its safety digest describing this accident. See safety digest 07/2019.

Detached brake equipment (image courtesy of Network Rail)

Detached brake equipment (image courtesy of Network Rail)

At around 19:15 hrs on 11 June 2019, an empty wagon in a freight train derailed at Carpenters Road North Junction and re-railed around 400 metres further on, while travelling at approximately 15 mph (24 km/h). The wagon derailed because one of its wheels ran over a substantial part of brake equipment that had become detached earlier at Channelsea Junction, and fallen from the underside of the wagon. The derailed wagon damaged signalling equipment, the track and a pair of its own wheels.

We have undertaken a preliminary examination into the circumstances surrounding this incident. Having assessed the evidence which has been gathered to date, we have decided to publish a safety digest.

The safety digest will be made available on our website in the next few weeks.

Published 9 July 2019