INDEPENDENT investigators have released their initial findings into what caused the derailment of a train in Eastleigh.

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) has investigated into the reasons a freight train derailed in Eastleigh on January 28.

The main railway line reopened through Eastleigh last week following the derailment of a freight train at the station and six days of emergency repair works.

RAIB has revealed that the train was travelling at 12mph on the down slow line at the time of the incident, which occurred on a crossover onto the down fast line.

The locomotive, a Class 70, became partly derailed and then re-railed itself.

As a result, some of the wheels on four of the following five wagons also became derailed, causing damage to the track in the process.

The driver stopped the train before the remaining 25 wagons reached the damaged track. No one was injured in this incident.

However, severe damage was done to the signalling equipment and track.

The RAIB investigation found that several rail fastenings, which maintain the right distance between the rails, had broken.

Evidence shows that some of these were broken before the derailment and meant that as the train crossed the points, the rails moved apart and the train dropped into the space between them.

Last week, Network Rail revealed that the cause of the derailment was infrastructure fault, when a small number of fastenings gave way.

Since the incident, Network Rail has carried out "enhanced precautionary" inspections of all similar fastenings across the Wessex route, with no additional areas of concern identified through this work.

Hydraulic jacks and cranes were used to lift the wagons back on to the track before they were removed from site.

The derailed train caused extensive damage to several sets of points, which allow trains to cross from one track to another.

These had to be removed completely and a new set will be built off site to a bespoke design, this is expected to be delivered over coming weeks.

More than 160 metres of temporary track has been laid to allow the reopening of the railway, however, without the critical points in place, not all trains can call at Eastleigh station.