Hampshire rail manager avoids 60mph train by 'a second'

The near miss happened at Rowlands Castle station

A railway manager narrowly avoided being struck by a train after a mix-up over signalling before he ventured on to the line, investigators have said.

The Network Rail employee was retrieving a bag from the line at Rowlands Castle, Hampshire, on 19 December.

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) said he had requested the wrong signalling centre to stop trains.

He managed to get back on to the platform and was unhurt.

The RAIB said the mobile operations manager had contacted Petersfield signal box to check for approaching trains shortly after 19:00 GMT on 19 December, instead of the controller at the Havant signalling centre which had control of the line.

He went on to the tracks and subsequently saw the non-stop passenger train approaching at 60mph (97kmph).

The RAIB said he managed to get clear with "one second" to spare.

The driver of the train was said to be "distressed" by the near miss.

It said a full investigation would determine the sequence of events that led to the incident and publish any recommendations.