Rail team ‘tried to warn their colleagues about train’
RAILWAY workers tried to warn colleagues before they were hit by a train, an accident report by the Government has revealed.
On July 3, Michael Lewis, 58, of North Cornelly, and Gareth Delbridge, 64, of Kenfig Hill, died after being hit by a train near Port Talbot, while another track worker came very close to being struck.
The three workers were part of a group of six staff who were undertaking scheduled track maintenance on lines that were still open to traffic.
A report by the government’s Rail Accident Investigation Branch reveals that the train, which was travelling from Swansea to London Paddington, was approaching Margam on the up line at around 73mph (117 km/h).
The driver saw the track workers on the line ahead of his train, sounded the train horn and applied the emergency brakes.
Track workers walking on the adjacent line became aware of the train approaching and tried to warn their colleagues as the train passed them, said the report, but the two men were still hit.
The report said the three track workers on the up line were working on a set of points, using a petrol-engined tool for loosening and tightening large nuts.
One of the workers was wearing ear defenders.
CCTV images taken from a camera at the front of the train suggest that the workers did not become aware of the train until it was very close to them. By this time, it was travelling at around 50 mph (80 km/h).
An investigation is now in place in order to identify the exact sequence of events that led to the accident.
Post-mortem examinations have been carried out on the bodies of Michael Lewis and Gareth Delbridge at the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, but the cause of death has yet to be officially concluded.