Rail worker killed by train was distracted, rail investigation report finds

Tyler Byrne, 30, was working on tracks between Surbiton and Weybridge when he was struck

A railway worker who died when he was hit by a train in south-west London had become "distracted from his primary safety critical role", a report says.

Tyler Byrne, 30, of Aldershot, Hampshire, was working on track between Surbiton and Weybridge in February 2021 when he was struck by the 76mph (112 km/h) South Western Railway train.

He died at Surbiton rail station.

Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) investigators found Mr Byrne had "lost awareness of his position".

The RAIB report made three safety recommendations.

On the day of the accident, Mr Byrne, who had worked for Network Rail since 2015, was the certified Controller of Site Safety (COSS) and was in charge of supervising a team on the line.

The RAIB investigation found Mr Byrne had "probably" entered the "unsafe position" where he was struck "after becoming distracted from his primary safety critical role, either because he was teaching his assistant about S&C [switches and crossings] inspection, or by carrying out the inspection."

Lessons not learned

The investigators found Network Rail had not learned lessons from a previous and similar fatal accident in Margam, Wales, where two workers were struck and killed by a train in July 2019.

Gareth Delbridge, 64, and Michael Lewis, 58, were hit by a Swansea to Paddington train in July 2019.

A report in November 2020 said Network Rail's "long-term failure to improve the safety of people working on the railway" was an underlying factor in the deaths.

RAIB's chief inspector of rail accidents Andrew Hall said there were similarities between the deaths in Margam and Mr Byrne's death.

He said: "At Surbiton, the accident happened probably because a patroller, who was carrying out inspections and was also responsible for the group's safe system of work, had become distracted and lost awareness of his position relative to the line the train approached on.

"The patrol was being undertaken with protection provided by unassisted lookouts.

Gareth Delbridge (L) and Michael Lewis (R) were hit by a train in Margam, Wales, in July 2019

"Although this was the usual practice for these inspections, working with unassisted lookouts is the least safe type of system allowed for when working on track and this had not been challenged in the years leading up to the accident."

Mr Hall explained investigators found evidence people at Mr Byrne's depot were aware of the Margam accident, but they "were convinced their circumstances were different".

"Consequently, managers at the depot did not learn from the experience of Margam and continued to allow much work to be carried out under unassisted lookout protection," Mr Hall added.

Warning horn

RAIB said the South Western Railway train driver, who had 18 years of experience, sounded a warning horn twice as the vehicle approached Mr Byrne.

But no one could recall hearing it, the report said.

The RAIB has made three recommendations, two of which are addressed to Network Rail around safety and behavioural non-compliance.

One further recommendation has been made to Rail Delivery Group to work with the wider rail industry to "improve the judgement of train drivers on whether track workers are in a dangerous position and to reinforce the use of the train horn to deliver urgent warnings".

Network Rail's John Halsall said the firm had worked closely with the RAIB investigation and supported the recommendations.

"There's still more work to be done, however, and our track-worker safety programme is continuing to implement new technology and new ways of working to keep our people safe."