A TRAIN driver was nearly struck by a high speed train travelling at 105mph while investigating a fault near York.

The Virgin East Coast driver sheltered next to his cab just three seconds before the train passed at Kyle Beck, Tollerton, on August 3.

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch report said the driver of the Inverness to London Kings Cross service was carrying out tests at 14.04 and there was a lack of “clear understanding” between the driver and a trainee signaller.

The driver contacted a signaller at the York rail operating centre to request other trains were stopped so he could check the fault. The signaller said he would call the driver back to confirm the line blockage, however, the report found the driver stepped down from his cab before receiving the confirmation.

“It is possible the driver may not have heard what the trainee signaller said or that he had misunderstood what he was being told,” the report said.