Minister visits derailment site amid funding plea

The rail minister has visited the site of a derailment in East Sussex amid calls for more investment in transport in the South East.

Rail Minister Lord Hendy met Lewes MP James MacCleary and senior representatives from Network Rail, Greater Thameslink Railway, British Transport Police and contractors following the derailment near Lewes.

Twenty people were injured when three carriages on the 14:24 BST Southern service from London Victoria to Eastbourne left the tracks at Landport on Thursday.

MacCleary said while he could not pre-empt the investigation, concerns about infrastructure must be considered. Lord Hendy said regulators ensured Network Rail had enough money to maintain the railway.

The derailment left two people seriously injured and 18 others with less serious injuries.

MacCleary said all had been discharged from hospital apart from the two who were most seriously hurt.

After meeting Lord Hendy, MacCleary said the South East had been overlooked "for too long" when it comes to transport investment.

"Despite repeated calls for greater support, the region has missed out in recent budget decisions," he said. "I hope this incident serves as a turning point."

Lord Hendy said funding was spread across the UK, adding: "I certainly don't think there's any cause to suppose that any particular part of the nation is disadvantaged by that."

Asked about track inspections, he said regular inspections had taken place and questions about the condition of the track would be examined by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB).

He said modern rolling stock was resilient and the railway was safe, adding: "Very few windows were broken, nobody fell out of the train, and as a consequence, the worst injury that I know of was a broken leg."

The RAIB is expected to give initial findings this week.

Meanwhile, the operation to separate and remove the derailed carriages has begun.

Fire crews have been spraying water around the train to reduce the risk of fire caused by sparks when the metal is cut.

Two cranes will be brought in to move the carriages after checks have been made to make sure the embankment can withstand their weight.

The line between Lewes and Haywards Heath remains closed until at least 26 August, with disruption likely to continue after that.

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