A near miss incident occurred on the West Coast Mainline in March, involving a train and a track worker.
- The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) has released a detailed report on the incident.
- The event took place near Euxton Junction and involved an Avanti West Coast train.
- Miscommunication and error in identifying a line blockage were key factors in the incident.
- The track worker was alerted to the danger just seconds before the train passed.
In March, a potentially catastrophic incident was narrowly averted on the West Coast Mainline near Euxton Junction. The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) has now released its findings, shedding light on the circumstances surrounding the event where a track worker and an Avanti West Coast train were nearly involved in an accident.
The near miss occurred at approximately 2:15 pm when a train travelling from Glasgow to London Euston came dangerously close to a track worker, who was fulfilling duties as a controller of site safety (COSS). As the train approached at 110 mph, the COSS received a crucial warning from both the train driver, who sounded the train’s horn, and a bystander on a nearby footbridge.
According to the RAIB report, the root cause of the incident was a misidentification of which railway line had been closed, termed as a line blockage. Although correct signage was present, it was not correctly interpreted by the COSS. Furthermore, the briefing provided by the COSS failed to highlight the discrepancy, and this lack of clarification was unchallenged by other team members.
At the site, there are four lines: Up Fast, Down Fast, Up Slow, and Down Slow. The misunderstanding involved the wrong identification of the line to be blocked for safety. This necessity of a detailed safe work package (SWP) review was neglected, breaching Network Rail safety standard NR/L2/OHS/019, which underscores the importance of reviewing safe work systems at least a shift before such work begins.
Moreover, it was reported that the COSS misidentified the line-side equipment to be worked on. Despite the team’s familiarity with the area, the COSS confused a location cabinet on the Down Fast line for the one on the Up Fast line. The discrepancy arose because the COSS identified the wrong line-side cabinet number while checking from the depot, resulting in a critical misunderstanding of the work location.
This incident underscores the critical importance of stringent safety protocols and thorough communication among rail safety personnel.
