RAIB Looking Into March 7 Near Miss on Down Fast Line

The U.K. Rail Accident Investigation Branch is probing a March 7 near miss with a track worker in Harpenden, Bedfordshire.

At around 11:41 p.m. local time, a passenger train operated by Govia Thameslink Railway, which was traveling at 62 mph on the Down Fast line, was involved in a near miss with an engineering supervisor who had entered the railway from their designated access point, adjacent to the Down Fast line.

The track worker involved planned to place work site marker boards on the Up and Down Slow lines. Both these lines had been blocked to rail traffic as part of an overnight possession between Radlett Junction and Flitwick Junction.

Forward-facing CCTV from the train shows that, as it approached, the engineering supervisor was walking on the Down Fast line, which remained open to traffic. The supervisor became aware of the approaching train and jumped clear of the line approximately 1 second before it passed them.

The investigation will seek to identify the sequence of events that led to the incident. It will also consider the actions of those involved and the factors that may have influenced them, the way in which gaining access to the Up and Down Slow lines to place work site marker boards was planned, how the risks associated with being on or near a railway line were being managed, the roles, responsibilities and working patterns of relevant staff, and underlying management factors.

The RAIB probe is independent of any investigation by the railway industry or by the industry’s regulator, the Office of Rail and Road.