A fatal collision at a Kent level crossing has exposed shortcomings in its design, signs and driver guidance, according to an independent investigation that has renewed warnings about the safety of privately operated crossings.
Brandon Hatcher, 23, was killed on 13 July 2025 when a passenger train travelling from Ramsgate to London Victoria hit his stationary delivery van at Bax level crossing near Teynham. The train was travelling at approximately 71mph (114km/h) at the point of impact.
The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) report, published on 9 November 2026, found that a green light displayed when Mr Hatcher arrived almost certainly led him to believe he could enter the crossing after opening its first gate, even though the gate on the far side remained closed.
Investigators also identified insufficient signage and road markings, shortcomings in the development of crossing signs and inadequate training and guidance for a driver working on behalf of a logistics company.
How the collision happened
Bax is a user-worked crossing, meaning road users must open and close gates on either side of the railway themselves. It has miniature stop lights which show green when no train is approaching. When a train is detected, the signal changes to red and an audible warning sounds.
The instructions require users to check the lights, open both gates before driving over the tracks, cross when it is safe and then close the gates.
The RAIB concluded that the green light shown when the driver arrived almost certainly influenced his decision to enter before the exit gate had been opened. The van was then left stationary on the crossing.
This was not a finding that the green light had malfunctioned. The central problem was that the combination of signals, instructions and crossing layout did not adequately guide an unfamiliar user through the necessary procedure.
Safety concerns went beyond one driver
The investigation found that a programme to develop new signs for private level crossings had not sufficiently accounted for the ways people interpret several sources of information at once.
It also found that, after Network Rail installed miniature stop lights, further upgrades at a crossing became less likely, leaving safe use heavily dependent on people understanding and following written instructions.
Mr Hatcher was self-employed and working on behalf of a logistics company. The RAIB found that the guidance and training supplied to him had not prepared him to use this type of crossing safely.
The RAIB investigates accidents to improve safety, not to decide criminal guilt or civil liability. Its findings should not be read as a legal verdict against any individual organisation.
An earlier warning in Kent
The danger to delivery drivers unfamiliar with private crossings had been documented before. On 23 October 2017, a parcel delivery driver was seriously injured when a train struck his van at Frognal Farm crossing, also near Teynham.
In its 2018 report into that collision, the RAIB found that the driver did not realise he needed to telephone the signaller before crossing. The opening of power-operated gates reinforced his belief that it was safe to proceed. It also questioned whether relying on authorised crossing users to brief visitors was realistic.
There have been changes since those earlier warnings, including new regulations for private-crossing signs and barriers introduced in 2023. The latest report raises the question of whether the changes have adequately addressed how crossings are understood by people encountering them for the first time.
Another delivery driver died in Lancashire
On 29 August 2026, a delivery driver was killed when a passenger train struck a van at Martin Lane user-worked level crossing in Lancashire. That crossing also has manually operated gates and a miniature stop-light system.
The RAIB investigation into the Lancashire collision remains ongoing. Although the crossing equipment shares features with Bax, investigators have not yet established that the same factors caused both deaths.
Andrew Hall, Chief Inspector of Rail Accidents, said private user-worked crossings were a “19th century concept operating in a 21st century world”. He urged the rail and home-delivery industries and regulators to act before another tragedy.
What the investigators want changed
The RAIB has issued four recommendations:
- Network Rail: review the design of user-worked crossings to reduce risks.
- Department for Transport: work with the rail regulator and industry to update legal requirements and guidance for road users.
- Health and Safety Executive: review safety guidance for employers and organisations engaging self-employed drivers and riders.
- Network Rail: review how the concept of an authorised user is applied in guidance to staff.
Responses and next steps
South Eastern Railway said it accepted the findings and had already changed the layout at the site and published guidance for professional drivers. Amazon expressed sympathy for Mr Hatcher’s family and said it would carefully consider the report. The Department for Transport said it was studying the findings, while the Office of Rail and Road said it expected Network Rail to manage the risks associated with these crossings. These responses were reported following publication of the investigation.
The recommendations are intended to reduce future risks. Their publication does not, by itself, establish that all the proposed improvements have been implemented. The outstanding question is how quickly crossing operators, regulators and delivery businesses turn the findings into safer arrangements for people who may never have encountered such a crossing before.
Sources
- RAIB Report 12/2026: Bax level crossing, published 9 November 2026
- RAIB press statement and chief inspector’s remarks
- RAIB Report 12/2018: Frognal Farm level crossing
- RAIB announcement: Martin Lane collision, Lancashire
- The Private Crossings (Signs and Barriers) Regulations 2023
- Reported responses from South Eastern Railway, Amazon and regulators
