Network Rail fined £3.4M after a track worker was killed by a train. Safety failings led to the tragic incident near Surbiton.
Tyler worked near Surbiton station and was hit by a train traveling 76 mph in February 2021. He was from Aldershot, Hampshire.
Network Rail, which owns most UK train lines, pleaded guilty to a safety violation and must pay over £43,000 in costs. A rail regulator investigated the incident.
The regulator found safety failures, including the absence of a warning system, which put workers at risk of being hit by trains. Tyler was inspecting a crossover line at the time.
Emergency services arrived quickly, but Tyler died at the scene. Investigation showed poor planning and supervision, and that workers lacked adequate protection.
Another incident in 2019 killed two workers at Margam, Wales, where a train struck them without warnings or a line block. Network Rail ended “red-zone” working after Margam, meaning working with live lines.
Despite these changes, another worker died in 2020 near Roade after being hit by a train. Network Rail has been criticized for improving safety slowly.
A manager stated that Tyler’s death should not have happened and that they accept the judgment. They want to prevent future deaths and are very sorry for what happened. Now, they rarely work with live lines, scheduling maintenance at different times with the help of new technology.