Near miss in North Wales

[corneliuslundie]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-57664121

It sounds as though they were not properly briefed that the line was open or did not understand the implications.

I assume that now the line would have to be closed in both directions before such an inspection could take place.

Jonathan

[Wickham Green too]

Assume it's open unless you know otherwise ........

[Trog]

2 hours ago, Wickham Green too said:

Assume it's open unless you know otherwise ........

 and that the juice (if fitted) is on.

[4069]

You will get a clearer picture from the actual RAIB report:

 

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/safety-digest-032021-llandegai-tunnel/near-miss-with-track-workers-at-llandegai-tunnel-llandygai-gwynedd-13-february-2021

[corneliuslundie]

Slightly odd as the two access points referred to must have been on opposite sides of the line? Therefore for one they would have been looking south at the Up line and the other looking north at the Down line. I would have expected that to have been noticed, even in bad weather, as they would have started from opposite sides of the line.

It also appears that when they asked the signaller for a block they could not have been told that if they waited ten minutes they could have both lines blocked long enough. I suppose it depended on exactly what they asked for.

But as always it is very difficult even from the RIAB report to understand everything.

Jonathan

[seraphim]

The two access points are indeed on opposite sides of the line. Hence the confusion. To someone not familiar with the area, it would be easy to become disoriented - the road passes under the railway at (at least) one place. 

 

The human mind is a funny thing; once it becomes fixated on one "world model", it can be almost impossible to move away from that. This is why the RAIB has mentioned signs in this digest and previous in the Sundon digest. Seeing a sign might just have triggered an "all is not right here" reaction. Or then again, maybe not. I have seen the original footage from the train; it is the nearest miss I have ever seen; the track worker who scrambled clear was unbelievably fortunate to not end up in intensive care or the mortuary.

[hmrspaul]

Modelling access point signs are going to be one of those items which help to date a layout. These are two near my home. 

https://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/brerner/eb945c26c

https://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/brerner/e867c3d47

 

Paul

[Fat Controller]

I remember a similar case, with a much more tragic outcome, on the LGV near Dijon. A team of maintenance workers were due to carry out an intervention during a 'Periode Blanche'. (This is where one line remains open, whilst the adjacent one is under possession) ; such interventions are planned and timetabled, and are normally a matter of routine. On the day in question, the normal road to the access point was blocked by road-works, so the team were obliged to follow an alternative route. They duly arrived at the access point, but were, unknowingly, on the wrong side of the tracks. They reported their arrival to the Line Controller and unlocked the gate; before the van driver had closed the gate behind them, his colleagues had been struck and killed by a TGV, travelling on the line that was not under possession.

[ess1uk]

This is the problem with teams who are not local to an area being unfamiliar with their worksites.