Shocking video captures moment man is almost hit by train at level crossing

A West Coast mainline train, reaching maximum speeds of 125mph, was forced to come to an emergency stop when it almost hit a man running across tracks

Video shows the dramatic moment a man was almost hit by a train at a level crossing.

Network Rail issued a safety warning upon publishing the footage of the near miss which happened in January at a footpath level crossing near Runcorn on the West Coast main line.

The 15-second clip shows the train approaching a level crossing at speed when a man wearing a cap is seen rushing across from one side of the line to the other.

While the man escaped unscathed, a slowed-down version of the clip replaying the incident at half-speed, shows just how close the train came to hitting the unnamed man.

According to Network Rail, the London Euston to Glasgow high-speed service which reaches maximum speeds of 125mph, was forced to come to an emergency stop when the incident occurred at 10:43am on 18 January.

The company added that the entrance to the footpath crossing displays a red warning light when it is unsafe to cross, which they said the man had ignored.

Lucy Jordan, Network Rail’s North West head of safety, said: “When I see footage like this it always makes my heart stop. The difference of just a few seconds could have led to tragedy for this man and I can’t downplay the danger he was in.

“It’s important for Network Rail to share this video as a strong warning to others and to remind them of our level crossing rules. No matter how well you think you know a crossing, all users must obey the signage in place and if there are warning lights, always stop when they display red, it just isn’t worth the risk.”

Dave Whitehouse, Avanti West Coast safety and security director, added: “This footage serves as a stark reminder to be aware of your surroundings near the railways whether it’s at a level crossing or at a station. Although the man involved escaped serious injury, this shows it only takes a split second to make the wrong decision for it to end in tragedy.”

According to the latest available data from the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), there were eight fatalities at mainline level crossings from April 2021 to March 2022. This was one more than the previous year.