March rail crash happened because tractor driver failed to call before crossing line

Farm workers are being warned of the dangers of using unmanned railway crossings following the publication of a report into a crash involving a freight train and tractor and trailer at March.

The incident last summer at the Kisby crossing on Middle Drove left the train driver with minor injuries while the tractor driver was unhurt.

Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) has released its report into the collision which happened on August 19 2021.

Investigators found the accident happened because the tractor driver did not telephone the signaller before crossing the railway to seek permission to cross and is now recommending that farming organisations remind members of the correct procedures .

This was a consequence of the tractor driver not being briefed about the requirement to call the signaller and his belief that he could cross safely by looking for approaching trains.

The report said: "This probably arose because the authorised user, the person owning land on both sides of the level crossing, was not briefing crossing users in a way which resulted in correct use of the crossing, and railway staff were unaware that this was the case until shortly before the accident.

"RAIB found that Network Rail was not effectively managing the safe use of Kisby, and some other user worked crossings with telephones, and that this was an underlying factor for the accident.

The crash happened at 9am and involved a freight service from Hams Hall (Birmingham) to Felixstowe which collided with agricultural machinery being towed over the railway by a tractor on the line between Whittlesey and March.

The train was travelling at about 66 mph when it struck the machinery. The locomotive and one wagon derailed, with both suffering some damage. There was also extensive damage to the infrastructure of the railway, which resulted in the line being closed for a number of days while repairs were carried out.

RAIB has made two recommendations, one addressed to Network Rail and one addressed to the Health and Safety Executive, as a result of its investigation.

These seek improvements in the management and assurance processes applied to user worked crossings and an additional means of communicating crossing safety information to agricultural workers.

RAIB has also written to several organisations representing farmers asking that they remind their members of the importance of following correct procedures at user worked crossings.