News story

Near miss with track workers at Paddington Subway Junction

Near miss with track workers at Paddington Subway Junction, west London, 18 July 2022.

Forward facing CCTV showing the track workers moving clear of the train (courtesy of Great Western Railway)

Forward facing CCTV showing the track workers moving clear of the train (courtesy of Great Western Railway)

At around 01:17 hrs on 18 July 2022, a passenger train travelling towards Paddington station was involved in a near miss with two track workers. At the time of the incident, the two track workers were facing away from the train and walking very near to the track on which it was approaching. The train was traveling at around 24 mph (39 km/h) when the near miss occurred. The track workers moved clear of the path of the train around one to two seconds before it passed them.

We have undertaken a preliminary examination into the circumstances surrounding this incident. Having assessed the evidence which has been gathered to date, we have decided to publish a safety digest.

The safety digest will be made available on our website in the next few weeks.

Published 5 August 2022