Rail minister visits Lewes derailment site amid calls for funding

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.