The near miss is now being investigated by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch.

The worker was on the line just before midnight on 2 December removing short-circuiting straps which had been temporarily attached to rails in connection with engineering work.

He managed to moved out of the way of an approaching passenger train less than two seconds before the train passed him travelling at 51 mph. He did not suffer any injuries.

Investigators are examining the sequence of events that led to the near miss, including the actions of the track worker and other staff involved, rules and procedures, and any relevant underlying management factors.

Just 10 days later two track workers at Sundon, Bedfordshire were also involved in a night-time near miss, having to jump out of the way of an approaching passenger train that was travelling at 101 mph.