Investigators Cite Radio Failure, Missing Lights in Port Glasgow Track Worker Strike

PORT GLASGOW, Scotland — The Rail Accident Investigation Branch identified two possible underlying factors that led to a wagon being pushed by a rail-mounted crane during overnight engineering work near Port Glasgow station last year striking two track workers.

The mishap left one worker seriously injured and prompted calls to tighten radio-communications controls and compliance checks.

In a report published today, the RAIB said Network Rail requirements for duplex communications and product-approved radio equipment were not being followed and that Network Rail lacked effective assurance processes to verify compliance. RAIB also said operational rules that should have applied to the rail cranes were not recognized as relevant to those machines and were therefore not being applied.

RAIB issued one recommendation to Swietelsky Construction to review the communications equipment and protocols used when controlling rail crane movements in line with Network Rail standards, and highlighted that recommendation to other crane operators. The agency also issued two recommendations to Network Rail: one to review standards governing radio communications used to control movements of on-track machines, and another to strengthen assurance processes used to monitor compliance.

RAIB also listed three learning points, including the need for workers to begin duties only after being briefed by the designated site safety controller, compliance with lighting requirements for wagons in possessions, and the importance of using safety-critical communication procedures.

The incident occurred around 8:30 p.m. on March 15, 2025, inside an engineering possession where three rail cranes were being used to renew a section of track. A wagon being propelled by one crane struck two workers standing on the track near a track panel that had been set down ahead of the moving crane and wagon.

RAIB said one worker became trapped between the wagon and the lifting beam of another crane and suffered serious injuries. The second worker was trapped under the wagon and sustained minor injuries.

Investigators found that a section of track intended for installation had been lowered onto the line ahead of the crane and wagon that were moving to collect it. The two workers were close to the panel discussing where it should have been placed when the wagon struck them.

RAIB said the member of staff controlling the movement of the propelling crane issued a stop instruction over the radio, but the crane’s driver did not receive it. The workers on the track did not recognize that the crane had failed to stop.

The report said the operator of the moving crane could not see in the direction of travel and relied on radio instructions from the staff member controlling the movement from the ground. Investigators also found there was no light on the leading end of the wagon — a requirement under the railway Rule Book — that could have warned workers it was approaching.