STATEMENT

A driver and colleague were injured when they jumped from a runaway train in Fife last month, accident investigators have revealed.

The incident happened after the leaf clearance train’s brakes were damaged when it hit a fallen foot-thick tree branch and ran out of control for four miles.

The crew of the DB Cargo train suffered “minor injuries” when they jumped clear as it started to roll backwards, the UK government’s Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) reported.

It has launched an investigation into the incident, which started around 4:25am on 17 October during overnight leaf clearance north of Markinch.

Some 60 trains during the morning rush hour were delayed or cancelled while the train was recovered and the 10ft-long branch removed.

The RAIB said the driver had spotted the tree and applied the emergency brake.

However, the train hit the tree at 40mph, which damaged its underside and “caused

“Having made an emergency call on the trainradio,thetwotrain crew jumped from the train onto the trackside and suffered minor injuries”

RAIL ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION BRANCH