Shortly after 4am two track workers were standing on the tracks at Eccles station in Greater Manchester, painting a line on the platform edge during a line possession, when an empty passenger train approached.
They were able to scrambled clear when the train driver sounded the horn and slammed on the brakes but the track workers and the train driver were all badly shaken by the near miss.
The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) found that the controller of site safety (COSS), the person responsible for ensuring that the track workers were protected from train movements, had re-opened the line before telling the track workers. They had just been told to stop work and were preparing to leave the track when the train approached.
RAIB noted that a much more serious accident was probably averted by the driver’s prompt use of the train horn when he saw the track workers’ reflective high-visibility clothing ahead.
The full report, Safety digest 05/2021: Eccles, is available on the RAIB website.
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