At around 09:46 hrs on 4 January 2024, a passenger train had a near miss with a track worker between Letterston and Fishguard.
The track worker was the person in charge (PIC) and controller of site safety for a small team undertaking vegetation clearance work. The planned system of work mandated that the track workers were to remain at least two metres from the open line. However, as the train approached the site of work around a tight curve at around 53 mph (85 km/h), its driver saw the PIC on the line ahead. The train driver sounded the train's warning horn and made an emergency brake application. The PIC got clear of the line around two seconds before the train passed their location.
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.
