Investigation Into Death Of Train Driver In Worthing

Wednesday, 2 March 2022 09:19

An investigation has begun into the death of the train driver who was struck by a passing train at West Worthing station on February 1st.

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch has released a report of what happened during the incident and what they will now be investigating in order to establish why it happened.

The report says:

At around 20:33 hrs on 1 February 2022, a train traveling at approximately 33 mph (53 km/h) passed a stationary train that was waiting in a siding, around 300 metres to the west of West Worthing station. As it did so, it struck and fatally injured the driver of the stationary train, who had previously exited the train’s cab and descended to track level.

The train driver who was struck had earlier driven his train from Brighton to West Worthing and had then driven it into the siding where the accident occurred. The train was timetabled to wait here for a short time before returning to West Worthing station and forming the next passenger service to Brighton. Train drivers should not normally need to leave their trains as part of their duties while waiting in this siding.

Our investigation will seek to identify the sequence of events which led to the accident. It will also consider:

the actions of those involved, including how the train driver involved came to be in a position where he could be struck by the passing train
the methods of working used by staff working on and around the siding
the layout and condition of the siding involved
any underlying factors.

Our investigation is independent of any investigation by the railway industry or by the industry’s regulator, the Office of Rail and Road.

We will publish our findings, including any recommendations to improve safety, at the conclusion of our investigation. This report will be available on our website.