TRANSPORT authorities are investigating after a rail worker narrowly escaped being struck by a train between Newcastle and Sydney earlier this month.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau said the worker, who was acting as an outer hand signaller during track work near the Lake Macquarie suburb, was involved in a "near-hit incident" with the 2.53pm Newcastle to Sydney service.
That train's driver reported the worker was walking along the middle of the train. The driver told authorities that they sounded the whistle and applied emergency brakes to avoid a collision.
The incident was initially reported to the Sydney Trains Rail Operations Centre, which sent an incident rail commander to the scene.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau said its investigation will involve visiting the site, examining worksite protection documents as well as analysing recordings and interviews.
"The draft report will be forwarded to relevant parties for comment prior to the completion and release of the final report," the authority said in a statement.
"Should any safety critical information be discovered at any time during the investigation, the ATSB will immediately notify operators and regulators so appropriate and timely safety action can be taken."
The authority is also investigating last weekend's fatal plane crash at Rutherford.
That inquiry is classed as defined, meaning investigators will seek out systematic safety issues in a bid to identify the underlying cause of the accident.
In contrast, the Dora Creek inquiry is classed as short and will examine the safety framework around it.
