Two rail workers narrowly avoided being struck by a train travelling at 95mph as they attempted to clear a tree from the line, a report has found this week.
They moved clear of the track two seconds before the train passed between Highbridge and Burnham Railway Station and Weston on 14th January.
The train struck part of the tree, causing minor damage, says the Safety Digest report from the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB).
No workers were injured and the CrossCountry service from Penzance to Newcastle did not derail.
The RAIB said the incident showed the importance of staff managing vegetation close to railway lines being aware of the risks and ensuring that relevant control measures are in place.
There was conflicting evidence as to whether the site supervisor was directly supervising the tree being cut down, the RAIB said in its report.
Four people working for rail contractor QTS agreed that the tree had not been secured with a rope as it was cut and it fell down the embankment, with two workers following it down to attempt to move it clear of the line.
Rather than immediately instructing the team to get back into a position of safety, the site supervisor attempted to call the signaller to request trains be stopped, said the RAIB.
The train driver sounded the horn about 10 seconds before reaching the track workers but they did not acknowledge the warning, or move off the line, so the driver sounded the horn for a second time and applied the train’s brakes, the RAIB report said.
After shouted warnings from the site supervisor and the site warden, the workers pushed the stump back towards the embankment before getting themselves clear of the line.
The RAIB said risk assessments and documents provided by QTS had “inconsistent advice” on the use of ropes when felling trees.
QTS said decision making on using ropes was down to the site team’s discretion and based on the size of the tree.
