Rail workers nearly hit by train in Surrey tunnel due to issue that could ‘end in tragedy’

Three rail workers were nearly hit by a passenger train travelling at 33 mph as they walked under a tunnel in a Surrey village in what has been described as a "near miss".

Following the incident, the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) has called upon rail operators to take action, suggesting that the incident serves as a warning and that near misses can "eventually end in tragedy".

This all comes after an incident which occurred in the Bookham rail tunnel not far from Great Bookham. This week, the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) has published its investigation into the near miss, and what could have caused it. This investigation has been ongoing since May 2025 [1]. Advertisement

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On Friday, April 29, 2025 at around 11.42am three track workers were walking through Bookham Tunnel, on the approach to Bookham station.

As they walked through the tunnel, a passenger train travelling at 33mph passed them.

Investigators suggest the Bookham tunnel incident represents a pattern that could "eventually end in tragedy" -Credit:Network Rail

The train in question was a service from London Waterloo to Guildford [2]. The report found that it was slowing down for a scheduled stop at Bookham station when the driver saw the track workers ahead and sounded the train's warning horn.

Upon becoming aware of the approaching train, the track workers moved quickly to avoid it. Two of them moved into separate tunnel refuges and the other stood against the tunnel wall as the train passed.

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Investigators have since found that the track workers were walking a different route to that which had been blocked to trains. Finding that both the workers and the signaller who had granted the line blockage were aware they were in the wrong location.

It was also found that, while no injuries were reported, the amount of space between the tunnel wall and the nearest running rail is "insufficient" to provide a position of safety should people be in there when trains pass.

According to the RAIB, the formal information sheet for the required work had incorrectly contained line blockage arrangements for the nearby Mickleham Tunnel on the Leatherhead [3] line as opposed to the Bookham tunnel which the team was working around. This error had reportedly gone "unnoticed" during the planning of the work.

Bookham train station offers direct trains to Guildford westbound, and Leatherhead, Epsom and London Waterloo eastbound -Credit:SurreyLive - Grahame Larter

These findings have highlighted the importance of clear communication between those who plan the work, and those who complete it, the investigation branch has said.

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Speaking on the Great Bookham incident, the Government's Chief Inspector of Rail Accidents, Andrew Hall said: "The move away from unassisted lookout protection on the railway has made track work statistically safer, and that is welcome.

"However, our investigation into this near miss illustrates how safety is now heavily dependent on every worker having an accurate understanding of which lines are blocked, the timing of the block and where the safe working boundaries lie.

"Bookham Tunnel is one of a number of near misses that serve as a warning. Safety theory and bitter experience both tell us that a pattern of near misses will eventually end in tragedy, and that is what happened in Hertfordshire in March this year, where a track worker was struck and sadly lost their life.

"I know that work continues to try and reduce this risk further. Recent events show how urgent and important such work is."

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The RAIB is now recommending that Network Rail improves its planning of rail works to "reduce the risk of errors".

It has also called upon track workers and signallers to ensure their communication provides a "clear and unambiguous" understanding of what has been planned for all parties.

References

^ This investigation has been ongoing since May 2025 (uk.news.yahoo.com)
^ Guildford (www.getsurrey.co.uk)
^ Leatherhead (www.getsurrey.co.uk)