DISASTER almost struck at Ascot train station as rail workers escaped an approaching train by just three seconds.

At approximately 01:30 hrs on Friday, April 7, two track workers narrowly avoided being struck by a train at Ascot station.

They were working on a line that they mistakenly believed was blocked to trains and managed to move off the line less than three seconds before the arrival of the train. They were unhurt in the incident.

A spokesperson for the Rail Accident Investigation Branch said: “This incident highlights the importance of good quality safety critical communications, and of both parties confirming a common understanding of the message being conveyed.

“It demonstrates that it is preferable for controllers of site safety to receive a face-to-face briefing from the protection controller before authorising the team to start work.”

The track workers were standing on the up line at platform one the 01:11 train from Reading to Staines approached, travelling at 70 mph.

The train approached after the controller of site safety (COSS) had fitted insulating shrouds over the conductor rail and climbed back onto the platform.

The driver of the train saw the track workers as he approached Ascot station and immediately sounded the horn and applied the emergency brake.

This reduced the speed of the train from 67 to 43 mph in the nine seconds it took to reach the workers.

One of the track workers saw the headlight of the approaching train and they both climbed onto the platform two to three seconds before the train passed.

The train came to a stop with its rear portion still in the platform. The driver reported to the signaller that a near miss had taken place.

The incident resulted from a breakdown in the communications between the COSS and the Protection Controller (PC).