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RAIB to investigate lorry’s near miss with train at level crossing

The RAIB has launched an investigation after a passenger train came close to a collision with a lorry that had become trapped at a level crossing.

The cement mixer lorry drove onto the crossing at Mucking in Essex just as the barriers began lowering, causing the lorry to become stuck until the barrier was lifted manually just “six seconds before a passenger train crossed.”

The RAIB has launched an investigation into the near-miss incident on 13 March, looking to establish the cause and contributing factors and examine the actions of the lorry driver and a construction team on site.

Its preliminary investigation found the lorry had driven onto the crossing just before the barriers began to lower, stopped, and began reversing in order to enter a nearby construction site.

The barrier became caught on the vehicle, trapping it for around eight seconds until construction site staff working for Network Rail manually lifted the barrier.

The 11:11 service travelling to Southend Central was travelling round a bend in the track at 56mph when the driver saw the lorry reversing away from the railway track.

The investigation will consider the actions of the lorry driver and the construction team, as well as their awareness of the level crossing and its operating characteristics.

It will also look into the project team’s awareness of the risks of working near level crossings, and any underlying management factors with the findings to be published on the RAIB website.