Operational Close Call at Crewe Station

Issued to: Network Rail line managers, safety professionals and accredited contractors
Ref: NRL24-01
Date of issue: 11/03/24
Location: Crewe Station
Contact: Nicola Uijen, Head of NW&C CD SHE

Overview

In the early morning of 2nd June 2023, a work group, working for the Internal Delivery Signalling section of NW&C Capital Delivery, were undertaking works at Crewe Station in the area of the Platform 12 ramp. The team who had been working in the Crewe station area for most of the week under line blockage, were refused the block that evening due to a T3 possession on the same lines. The staff started to work separated, but then encroached to a line that was in the worksite under possession where they very quickly realised their error and exited the site, however they were reported to the Operations Delivery Manager (ODM) by the Engineering Supervisor (ES). It has been established through evidence that the line block was booked and accepted after the possession had been created in Possession PlanningSystem (PPS).

The PPS should have been checked and the clash with the mileages would have been made apparent; this would have highlighted that a possession was already in place (and the teams' work could have been planned into it). On site, the Site Warden did not enforce the defined limits as briefed by the Controller of Site Safety (COSS) / Person in Charge (PIC) which allowed the workgroup to stray onto the open line, failing to warn the work group members who strayed beyond the limits of the Safe System of Work (SSoW).

A level 2 investigation was undertaken and can be referenced SMIS457996 20230602 Crewe OCC Level 2 Investigation.