RAIB issues Safety Digest after crossing near-miss

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) has issued a Safety Digest following a ‘near miss’ at Plain Moor user-worked crossing between York and Malton on July 7.

As the 0925 TransPennine Express York-Scarborough, formed of a three-coach Class 185 diesel multiple unit, was about 400 metres away from the crossing (at about 0937), the driver saw a person using the crossing. At 200 metres away, the driver saw a car crossing it. The driver applied the emergency brake and the train came to a stand beyond the crossing.

The Kirkham Abbey signaller was offered and accepted the train at 0932. Three minutes later, a user called and asked for permission to cross with a car, requesting two minutes to do so. The signaller granted permission, asking the user to cross immediately.

The signaller received the ‘train entering section’ signal from Barton Hill at 0936, and at 0937 the train driver made an emergency call on the GSM-R radio reporting a ‘near miss’ with a road vehicle.

RAIB’s investigation found that although the signaller usually allowed two minutes to cross, regular users could often cross in about one minute. He calculated that the train would be expected on the crossing at or after 0937, and that giving the user permission at 0935 would allow them to be clear before then.

The Safety Digest highlights instructions given from Network Rail’s York Operations Manager to ensure signallers gave crossing users a minimum of three minutes to cross when granting permission. The signaller in question started work at Kirkham Abbey after this local instruction was issued, and the instruction was not available to read in the signal box.

RAIB says the Safety Digest demonstrates: the importance of signallers considering the information available, and allowing a safety margin when determining whether there is sufficient time for a crossing user to use the crossings; that local instructions should be briefed to signallers and made available to read in signal boxes; and that the rail industry should find ways of reducing the reliance on the judgement of signallers at user-worked crossings.