Track workers in near miss with 125mph train

Track workers in Scotland “narrowly avoided” being hit by a train travelling at 125mph, investigators have found.

The workers were carrying out a track inspection on the west coast mainline south of Kirtlebridge, Dumfries and Galloway, when the incident happened at 9.02am on November 14.

Investigators said CCTV footage from the train showed the track workers moved clear just before it passed.

No-one was injured in the incident, which involved a Virgin Trains service.

The UK's Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) has carried out a preliminary examination into the circumstances and plans to publish a safety report in the next few weeks.

It said in a statement on its website: “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.”

A Network Rail spokesman said: “We take the safety of our engineers seriously and work closely with the RAIB.

“We have carried out our own internal investigation into this incident and will carefully review the RAIB digest when published.”

A Virgin Trains spokesman declined to comment.