Near miss with staff at London Bridge
Near miss between a passenger train and possession support staff between Blackfriars and London Bridge, 30 July 2025.
View from the cab of the incident train after stopping (courtesy of Govia Thames Railway).
At 00:40 on Wednesday 30 July 2025, the driver of a passenger train made an emergency brake application when they observed two track workers on the line ahead of them as the train neared London Bridge station. The track workers quickly climbed onto an adjacent walkway on seeing the approaching train.
The track workers involved had just placed a possession limit board in error on a section of line which remained open to trains. The train was travelling at less than 20 mph when the near miss occurred and stopped before reaching the possession limit board. There were no injuries, and no damage was caused during the incident.
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.