London Underground safety criticised after worker hit by train

A track inspector who was hit by a Tube train was unaware of the risks to her, the rail safety investigator has found.

The Metropolitan Line service was travelling at 27mph (43kph) when she was struck near Chalfont and Latimer station, Buckinghamshire, last April.

The Morson agency worker suffered head and body injuries after being knocked over from behind, the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) said.

She has "continued to suffer from the effects of the accident", it added.

The Baker Street to Chesham train, operated by a driver with 26 years' experience, passed the group of three workers at about 09:30 BST, on 15 April.

After a hearing a bang, the emergency brake was applied which brought the train to a stop eight seconds later. The driver called for an ambulance after seeing the woman lying on the ground.

"The accident happened because the track worker had moved from a place of safety and into the approaching train's path to get a better view of the track ahead, just as the train was about to pass her," the report stated.

It added the inspector "was not aware of the risk the train posed to her" and that safety briefings provided to her on the day "were not effective".

Four recommendations have been made to London Underground Limited, which is a subsidiary of Transport for London (TfL), including a review of the risk assessments of working during hours when trains are running.

Andrew Hall, chief inspector of rail accidents said: "This accident is an alarming reminder that there is still work to be done to reduce the likelihood of track workers coming into contact with trains on parts of the railway.

"It cannot be acceptable that any member of staff be working on open lines with insufficient awareness of the direction a train might approach from."

Lilli Matson, TfL's chief safety, health and environment officer, said: "Safety will always be our top priority, so we were extremely concerned when a railway worker was struck by a Metropolitan line train while inspecting track near Chalfont & Latimer station.

"While thankfully their injuries were limited, it would have been a highly upsetting experience and our thoughts remain with them."

Follow BBC London on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected]