In an alarming incident, a track worker narrowly escaped a collision with a train in Devon, highlighting critical safety concerns. The Rail Accident Investigation Bureau (RAIB) has released a thorough report detailing the circumstances of this near-miss, which occurred in March on the London Paddington to Penzance line. The incident involved a Controller of Site Safety (COSS), who, while ensuring signal maintenance, inadvertently stepped into danger. Contributing factors included inadequate visibility due to overgrowth and track curvature, as well as deviation from the established safety protocols. Prompt reactions by the train driver, including the sounding of a warning horn, averted potential disaster.
The near-miss event, as outlined in the RAIB’s report, took place at approximately 10:44 am on 13th March. At this moment, a passenger train, moving at a speed of 54 mph, almost collided with a track worker near Littlehempston, situated close to Totnes in Devon. This incident occurred on the London Paddington to Penzance line, a critical railway corridor known for its high traffic and operational significance.
Central to this incident was the track worker, designated as the Controller of Site Safety (COSS), responsible for the safety oversight of a team engaged in signal maintenance tasks. This role includes enforcing safety measures, such as keeping a minimum distance of two metres from any open line, under a ‘separated’ system of work. The COSS was part of a group provided by PACE Infrastructure Solutions to Colas Rail, which included five other track operatives.
The report reveals that the near miss ensued after the COSS left the designated safe area. Upon inadvertently moving close to an operational line, the COSS was exposed to the risk of being struck. The RAIB identified this as a breach of the prescribed ‘separated’ system, which mandates strict adherence to safety zones.
Compounding this misstep was the environmental and structural context: overhanging vegetation and a track curve significantly restricted the train driver’s visibility. The COSS remained obscured until the train was mere seconds away, with the driver spotting him only five seconds prior to reaching the location. In a rapid chain of actions, the train operator’s immediate sounding of the horn facilitated the COSS’s retreat, ultimately preventing an accident.
Following the occurrence, the train driver promptly alerted the signaller to report the near miss, initiating a sequence of procedural safety checks and communications to ensure ongoing traffic awareness and incident response readiness.
This incident underscores the imperative of stringent adherence to established safety protocols to prevent future near-misses.
