Norwich to Stansted train in 75mph 'near miss' with two cars

A train travelling at nearly 75mph (121km/h) almost hit two cars at a level crossing, a safety report said.

The passenger train was involved in the "near miss" between Thetford and Brandon, on the Norfolk-Suffolk border.

The motorists called on the phone at the forestry user level crossing asking to cross.

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) said a signaller "granted permission... without realising [a train] was approaching".

The train "came close to striking two cars", that were inside the rail boundary but clear of the line, according to the RAIB report.

The Greater Anglia service had been travelling between Norwich and Stansted Airport, Essex.

Inspectors said the motorists had told the signaller that, once gates were opened and closed, it would take them two minutes to cross at about 06:05 BST on 18 September.

The signaller checked his Thetford workstation of five screens, which gave a "schematic layout" of the rail lines and gave permission, the RAIB said.

However, "the lengths of the sections on the screens are not representative of their actual length in the real world," it said.

The signaller thought the train had only just left Thetford station.

But investigators found the train was actually at the other end of the circuit and it reached the level crossing just 44 seconds after the motorists had called.

The signaller had reported for duty well before his 06:00 start and was given a handover before his shift.

The RAIB said his "continuing focus on understanding the wider situation on the workstation may have affected his perception of the train's position".

"In addition, the long track circuit section between Thetford station and forestry user worked crossing did not... lead to the signaller having enough information about the train's position to allow him to make an informed decision," it added.

The report noted similar cases, including a tractor crash near Thetford in 2016 had led to Network Rail installing two extra screens for the Thetford circuit.

Network Rail is also to introduce a new policy to improve signallers' information, but this will not happen until next year.

It had also been ordered to improve safety measures at level crossings, but Network Rail had said these did not apply to forestry user crossings.

Network Rail said it welcomed the report's findings.

Ellie Burrows, its route director for Anglia, said: "Safety is our top priority and we have already begun work to improve safety at this crossing, including additional training and better processes to help signallers make safe decisions when allowing someone to cross.

"We are also looking at how technology can be used to further improve safety at this location."

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