'Everyone Was Screaming': Passengers Describe Horror as Train Derails Near Lewes and Carriages Flip

A Southern Rail passenger train derailed near Lewes in East Sussex on Tuesday afternoon, leaving at least two carriages flipped onto their side.

Commuters scrambled to safety as 'everyone was screaming', according to eyewitnesses. The incident happened shortly before 4pm between Haywards Heath and Lewes, on one of the key commuter corridors linking Brighton, Eastbourne and the wider East Sussex network.

Images from the scene showed carriages lying on their side in heathland, with passengers standing on top of the train while others were led away by emergency workers. Officials from the Department for Transport said they understood there were no serious injuries or fatalities.

Passengers Flee Overturned Carriages as Emergency Crews Scramble to Lewes

British Transport Police confirmed officers were responding to the derailment alongside paramedics and the fire service. South East Coast Ambulance Service said it was called just before 16:00 BST and deployed 'a number of ambulance resources' and specialist teams to the site near Lewes railway station.

East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service, British Transport Police and ambulance crews worked around the derailed Southern service as passengers were evacuated across uneven ground. Network Rail confirmed no trains could run between Haywards Heath and Lewes 'until further notice', with passengers told to expect delays of at least 60 minutes, and those heading to Gatwick Airport warned to allow an extra 90 minutes.

One passenger, posting under the username No_Ruin_3711 on Reddit's r/uktrains forum, said they had been in one of the coaches that flipped. 'All of a sudden there was a lot of almost grinding noises but more of a duh duh duh jumping until we completely derailed and felt like we just flew,' they wrote.

'The train fell on its side and went forward a bit while everyone was just screaming.' They described soot-covered passengers and a person with what they believed to be a broken nose, adding that paramedics were 'incredible'.

This account has not been independently verified and no official confirmation of injuries has been made, though it broadly aligns with the limited official detail released so far.

Passengers Tell of Train 'Flying' off the Tracks

Another passenger, Rob Bradley, told the media the train began rocking as it picked up speed, before the carriage he was sharing with his six-year-old daughter suddenly jolted upward and the brakes slammed on. 'Everything got thrown forward. My laptop, my AirPods, our bags,' he said, recalling the train 'skidded for quite a while' before stopping, at which point they realised 'the whole back of the train, literally where we were sat, was open and there was smoke and dust pouring into the carriage.'

From his window, Bradley could see the carriage behind had flipped onto its side and slid down an embankment into a lower field. He and his daughter were unhurt, but he saw passengers from the overturned coaches with blood on their heads and clothes, and said another traveller told him they had been cut when a window shattered on impact.

The cause of the derailment has not been officially confirmed and details remain provisional while investigations continue. The Rail Accident Investigation Branch has been notified and is expected to open a formal inquiry into the cause of the derailment.

Southern Rail said there would be 'major disruption' across its network until at least 22:00 BST, with no trains running between Brighton and Lewes, Haywards Heath and Lewes, or Seaford and Eastbourne into Lewes. Cooksbridge and Plumpton will not be served until further notice.

The operator urged passengers to delay travel or find alternative routes. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander posted on X that she was 'deeply concerned' by reports of the derailment and said the government was working with the rail industry and local partners 'to assist passengers'.

Lewes MP James MacCleary called it a 'very serious and developing incident' and urged anyone worried about friends or family to contact emergency services.