Farmers are being warned about crossing train tracks after a train driver was injured in a crash with farm machinery. 

Last summer, on August 19, a train hit agricultural machinery being towed by a tractor over train tracks in Kisby, Cambridgeshire.

At around 9am the freight train service from Hams Hall in Birmingham to Felixstowe was travelling at about 66 mph (106 km/h) when it struck the machinery.

The train driver suffered minor injuries in the accident and the tractor driver was uninjured.

The locomotive and one wagon derailed, with both suffering some damage. There was also extensive damage to the infrastructure of the railway.

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) concluded this week that the accident happened because the tractor driver did not telephone the signaller before crossing the railway to seek permission to cross.

This was a consequence of the tractor driver not being briefed about the requirement to call the signaller and his belief that he could cross safely by looking for approaching trains.

RAIB says that this probably arose because the authorised user, the person owning land on both sides of the level crossing, was not briefing crossing users in a way which resulted in correct use of the crossing - and that and railway staff were unaware that this was the case until shortly before the accident.

RAIB found that Network Rail was not effectively managing the safe use of Kisby, and some other user worked crossings with telephones, and that this was an underlying factor for the accident.

Andrew Hall, chief inspector of rail accidents, said: “Entering a railway level crossing when a train is approaching is incredibly dangerous and the accident at Kisby, although very serious, came extremely close to having a more tragic outcome.

"It is critical that any farm workers who may need to pass over a user worked crossing are briefed on how to do so safely and that they understand the importance of following the instructions displayed next to the crossing every time it is used."

The report into the accident made one recommendation to Network Rail and one to the Health and Safety Executive as a result of its investigation.

RAIB wants to see improvements in the management and assurance processes applied to user worked crossings and an additional means of communicating crossing safety information to agricultural workers.

The organisation has also written to several organisations representing farmers asking that they remind their members of the importance of following correct procedures at user worked crossings.