Investigators are examining the circumstances of a ‘near miss’ involving a passenger train and a track worker in Teignmouth, Devon.

At 01:23 hrs in the early morning of Tuesday 14 February 2023, the driver of a passenger train reported a near miss with a track worker on the down main line near to the railway access point at Teignmouth Boat Yard.

The train was travelling at around 55 mph (89 km/h) and the track worker had just placed a work site marker board on the line, which was still open to rail traffic.

The driver and the track worker were both physically unharmed but shaken by the incident.

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) has undertaken a preliminary examination of the circumstances surrounding the incident and has decided to publish a safety digest rather than conduct a full investigation. This is the approach that the RAIB takes when it believes that it is clear that safety learning from an incident has been identified by a previous investigation or relates to compliance with existing rules. The RAIB will publish the safety digest on its website in the near future.