Track worker nearly struck by train on Leighton Buzzard railway line

On Tuesday, June 16, a track worker assessing vegetation close to the railway line was almost struck by the train travelling from London Euston to Liverpool Lime Street.

The track worker managed to escape just moments away from being struck, while the driver was understood to have been 'shaken' and was taken off work at the next station.

Both Network Rail and the Rail Investigation Branch (RAIB) are looking into the circumstances surrounding the near accident.

A CCTV image (shown above) shows the position of the track worker to the oncoming train.

A Network Rail spokesman said: “Contractors on track assessing line-side vegetation were involved in a near miss.

"We take incidents of this kind incredibly seriously and are investigating precisely what the circumstances were which led up to this. Safety of railway staff, particularly track workers, is our priority.”

A spokesman from the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) added: "At around 4.28pm on June 16, a passenger train, travelling from London Euston to Liverpool Lime Street, came close to striking a track worker just north of Leighton Buzzard station.

"The track worker was undertaking a vegetation survey on behalf of a contractor. No one was injured.

"We have undertaken a preliminary examination into the circumstances surrounding this incident. Having assessed the evidence which has been gathered to date, we have decided to publish a safety digest.

"The safety digest will be made available on our website in the next few weeks."