Signal work that almost led to crash at crossing

Report into dangerous mix-up

A mix-up between rail workers and a novice signaller almost spelled disaster as a train passed through a level crossing with the barriers still up, an official probe has found.

Panicked maintenance crews desperately tried to lower the safety arms as cars crossed the tracks just seconds before the train reached Broad Oak.

Dramatic CCTV images show vehicles continuing to pass over the crossing as the Southeastern service approached from Sturry.

The driver spotted the barriers were still raised and slammed on his emergency brakes, but despite slowing from 70mph to 17mph he still crossed into the path of traffic.

A probe into the incident on June 29 was launched by the government’s Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB), which published its findings on Thursday.

Its report reveals that maintenance work was being carried out by Network Rail on tracks near the crossing on the day of the near-miss.

On the morning of June 29, workers testing a circuit needed to take manual control of the crossing barriers, securing permission from an inexperienced signaller at Canterbury West station who had only completed his training five weeks before.

Their first test passed without issue and they handed control of the crossing back to the signaller as a train passed through.

During the second phase of testing, however, they asked for more time to complete the work, but their request was refused by the signaller as another train was due.

As the train approached at 10.19am, it passed over track sensors that would normally have triggered the red roadside lights to flash and the barriers to lower, but as the crossing was still being operated manually, neither happened.

“At the time of the incident the level crossing was under the control of a Network Rail mobile operations manager,” the RAIB report stated.

“When he heard the approaching train he operated a switch to start the sequence to lower the barriers.

“The level crossing’s amber road traffic signals illuminated about three seconds before the train arrived and its red road traffic signals started to flash as the train arrived at the crossing while travelling at 17mph.

“The barriers started to lower five seconds later, just as the train stopped on the level crossing.

“Road vehicles that were approaching the level crossing at the time also stopped.

“There was no collision, but the train driver was shaken by what had happened.”

The report says trackside signals should have been set to ‘danger’ by the signaller to warn approaching train drivers the crossing was under local control, but at no point that morning were the lights red.

Crews on the ground should have also put red flags or lights up either side of the crossing, but there was no evidence of this being done.

Network Rail says the signaller was removed from “critical safety duties” after the incident, both to support the investigation and undergo retraining.

Its chief operating officer for the South East, Andy Derbyshire, said: “Our internal find- ings indicate that this appears to be an isolated incident.

“However, safety is our priority at Network Rail and we are always looking to improve the way we work and keep our spot as the safest railway in Europe.”

Network Rail is still carrying out its own investigation into the incident.