Investigation into a fatal accident near Roade, Northamptonshire

At around 10:52 hrs on 8 April 2020, a track worker was struck and fatally injured by a passenger train on the West Coast Main Line near to the village of Roade. The track worker was part of a group that were undertaking civil engineering work at the location. At the time of the accident the line was open to traffic.

The train was travelling from Northampton to London (Euston), at around 90 mph (145 km/h) when its driver saw the track worker on the line ahead, sounded the train horn and applied the emergency brakes.

The investigation will identify the sequence of events that led to the accident and will include consideration of:

• the actions of the those involved
• the planning of the work and the implementation of any safe systems of work
• any relevant underlying or organisational factors