RAIL safety investigators have released a report into a near miss incident between a track worker and a London to Paddington train which happened near Littlehempston.

The worker only moved clear of an oncoming train, travelling at 54 mph, two seconds before the train passed.

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch has reinforced  the importance of a series of safety measures for staff working in such situations following the incident which happened on March 13. 

A passenger train travelling at about 54 mph was involved in the near miss with the worker on a site which is about 1.5miles north of Totnes station.

At the time, the train was travelling towards London. 

The track worker involved was the controller of site safety for a group working on signal troughing. 

The group had been working using a ‘separated’ system of work, which requires staff to remain at least two metres away from any open line. 

The near miss occurred after the site safety controller left the group and moved close to a line which was still open to rail traffic.

The RAIB says this placed them ‘at risk of being struck’.

As the train approached, the controller moved to the the space alongside the line and out of the path of the approaching train, only moving clear about two seconds before the train passed.

In the report, the RAIB said: ‘This incident occurred because the controller of site safety moved out of the safe area that had been established as part of the separated system of work and moved close to the adjacent line, which was open to traffic. 

‘This put them at risk of being struck by passing trains.’

The report said the controller stated to their employer they moved towards the adjacent line to investigate whether an area was wide enough to allow work to be undertaken safely, using a separated system of work.

The railway at this point consists of two lines running between Newton Abbot and Totnes with a speed of 60mph which reduces to 55 mph just past the site of the incident. 

The group was working to correct minor faults on a section of troughing route.