For Christmas Claire brought me tickets to the Blue Man Group who were performing in London. Another place which we have wanted to visit for some time was the British Museum, also in the capital, so we thought we would kill two birds with one stone and do them both in one day.
Claire and I were all excited as we got on the train at 10:30am at Fratton station, heading for Victoria station. We were in the last carriage happily playing a game of cards, when at around 12:30 we went through Merstham Tunnel, and, about 5 seconds after exiting the tunnel, the train started juddering and ground to a swift halt, we were surrounded by thick white smoke, and a couple of windows further down the 8 carriage train were smashed by flying debris.
The train had derailed! The front engine was upright but had come off the rails as a result of hitting rocks which had fallen off the surrounding embankments which towered either side of the train. The passengers in our carriage were a little shocked at first but were generally calm, but I do not think it was the same story for passengers further forward on the train who would have felt the greater effects of the derailment.
Thankfully none of the 413 passengers or staff were hurt, and nerves were soon calmed as the highly professional staff from Southern Trains kept everyone onboard the train informed about the situation - we felt in good hands as they cut the electricity and halted all trains in our segment of the rail network. It was like something from the movies as the emergency services arrived, a helicopter circling around us, and the sound of many sirens from fire engines and ambulances on the roads around us.
The onboard drinks cart steward did a good trade selling all his alcohol and chocolate; he ended up giving the last of his coffee and tea away. The toilet situation on the train soon got quite nasty, because the power had been cut to the train, the electric doors were inactive and had to be forced open and shut by hand, there was no window or light in the toilet and the flush did not flush leading to a very nasty and smelly backlog. Ordinarily we would never have gone in the toilet but things got a bit desperate after a few hours and a coffee!
We were all instructed to stay onboard the train while the authorities checked the safety of the train and its passengers. Then, at about 3:00pm one by one, the carriages were evacuated and their passengers guided down the line to safety. Claire and I being in the last carriage got evacuated last. Claire got a little too excited as the firemen helped her down the ladder off the train!
People were not so impressed when they were told that they had to leave their large luggage behind on the train, this was because the embankment which we were to later climb was very steep and large luggage would only have hindered or endangered our assent to the buses at the top. There was one chap who really did not want to leave his snow board behind; I think the police let him have it in the end!
Once we got on the bus, our details were taken and it took us to the nearest train station where it dropped us off to carry on our journey to London, it was so surreal having being involved in such an incident then becoming a regular commuter along the general public again. We did not have time to go to the British Museum but we still went to the Blue Man Group which was totally awesome!
“We are stuck on a train which has derailed the front two carriages are completely off the track!” –A passenger shouted dramatically down her phone
