SECONDS FROM DEATH
Investigation launched after rail workers’ narrow escape
AN investigation has been launched after two Metro workers avoided being hit by a train with just two seconds to spare while carrying out work on the tracks.
The two workers were investigating a fault with the Metro’s signalling system at a junction near Pelaw station when the incident took place.
The men moved on to the track after a train travelling from Newcastle to South Shields had passed them. However, by stepping on to the track, the workers put themselves in the way of a second train travelling in the opposite direction.
When the driver spotted the two men he was forced to apply the emergency brake, stopping the train, which was travelling at 37mph.
The men managed to move clear of the train just two seconds before they would have been hit. No injuries were reported following the near miss.
An investigation into the incident, which took place at around 10.50am on February 21, is now being carried out by the government’s Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB).
The inquiry will determine the exact sequence of events that took place leading up to the incident, and will also examine Nexus’ safety procedures for its staff and whether they were followed correctly.
It will also check whether there have been similar incidents, and if there were errors by management.
A Nexus spokesman said: “This incident is the subject of a formal investigation by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch. Safety is our top priority at all times and we will provide the RAIB with all the assistance that they need.”
This incident is the subject of a formal investigation by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch Nexus