An investigation is underway after a Network Rail worker was nearly struck by a train in Hampshire.

The employee was part of a team carrying out rail inspections and maintenance at 12.22pm near Shawford, Hampshire on Friday, 24 June.

The Network Rail worker had accessed the railway at Shawford station and walked northwards along one side of the tracks to locate a reported rail defect using GPS equipment.

When he was unable to locate the issue, he crossed three tracks to the far side of the railway and after a short time, began to cross back. While crossing, the worker stopped and stood in the centre track as he became distracted by the GPS equipment. At the same time, train 1T29 was approaching at approximately 80mph around a right-hand bend.

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The driver sounded the train's horn and applied the emergency brake. The worker began to move when the train was about two seconds away and moved clear about one second before the train passed him.

The driver reported the incident to the signaller. However neither the track worker nor another member of the team reported the near miss at the time. In addition, the incident was not reported to the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) at the time.

The RAIB said: "Our investigation will identify the sequence of events that led to the incident. It will also consider:

• Why no protection was in place when the track worker went onto the tracks

• How the work was planned

• Any factors which may have influenced the actions of the team

• Any underlying management factors.

"We will publish our findings, including any recommendations to improve safety, at the conclusion of our investigation."

(LM/MH)