Rail worker in Devon jumped to avoid being hit by train

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Video still of the railway incidentImage source, RAIB
Image caption,

Video of the incident shows the worker leaping out of the train's path just before it hits a sign they were putting up

A rail track worker jumped from the path of a train travelling at 55mph with just two seconds to spare.

A Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) report said prompt use of the horn by the train driver had "probably avoided a fatal accident".

The track worker, who jumped into an adjacent line, was uninjured.

Both the driver and worker were left "shaken" by the near miss near Teignmouth, Devon, the RAIB said.

In a safety report, it concluded "informal communication" between the worker and their engineering supervisor had led to "assumptions".

Image source, Network Rail
Image caption,

Network Rail has worked on a rockfall shelter to protect the railway "for generations to come"

The "narrow miss" near Teignmouth Station in the early hours of 14 February 2023 took place as the worker placed a sign with flashing lights on the track to indicate a work site.

The work was part of a project to build a rockfall shelter during which workers accessed the Great Western Main Line at Teignmouth Boatyard.

After rounding a curve at about 55mph (88km/h), the driver spotted the worker and "immediately sounded the train's warning horn".

The track worker "jumped into the adjacent line which was also still open to traffic".

"Less than two seconds later, the marker board was struck by the passing train", the RAIB said.

The report said the incident occurred despite "several conversations" between the worker and his supervisor.

But during tasks away from the operational railway, the worker was joined by their supervisor, leading to the assumption it was safe to start track work.

When the worker was later instructed to place the marker boards, the status of the track was not discussed, the RAIB said.

The worker headed to the Dawlish Warren end of the work site and, despite two subsequent phone calls with their supervisor, there was no further discussion on the status of the track.

The report indicated the supervisor expected another call from the worker to confirm they could safely access the track, but the worker was "mistakenly under the impression" the track had been blocked to trains and did not call again.

The report concluded "informal communication" between the track worker and supervisor arose due to "their familiarity with each other, their good working relationship and because they had been applying the same work site arrangements almost every night for several months".

The report referenced a similar incident in May 2019 in Bedfordshire.

A Network Rail spokeswoman said: "This was a serious incident where a railway worker could have been badly injured, or worse.

"As a safety critical company, we work hard to prevent this type of incident from happening, but we recognise there is always room for improvement, and lessons will be learnt from this.

"We have already shared the outputs of an internal review, and will also be sharing the findings of the RAIB report with colleagues."

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