A 54-year-old railway worker was rushed to hospital with serious head injuries today after being struck by a train just outside Bradford Interchange.

The track worker was undergoing emergency treatment at Bradford Royal Infirmary after the accident at about 10.35am involving the 9.23am Northern Spirit passenger service from Manchester Victoria to Selby.

A spokesman for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said it had already launched an investigation into the incident, between the Interchange and Mill Lane, and said the man had been working track side for Jarvis Fast Line.

The HSE spokesman said: "We had our first death track side in London yesterday and this is an area that we are looking into more and more.

"We understand the man had been working track side for Jarvis Fast Lane but do not know exactly what he was doing.

"We do not know at this stage how the incident happened but we are trying to find out more."

A spokesman for West Yorkshire Metropolitan Ambulance Service said paramedics believed the injured man was a 54-year-old who had been taken to BRI to receive treatment for serious head injuries.

Emergency services were still on the track this afternoon as British Transport Police and HSE investigators began the task of unearthing how the man had come to be injured by the passing train.

The Interchange was completely closed off following the collision leading to chaos for scores of commuters.

A spokesman for Railtrack said: "We can confirm that the incident took place at 10.35am this morning and the man was taken to hospital with head and arm injuries.

"West Yorkshire and British Transport Police are currently on scene investigating the collision and the line has been closed off for the moment."

A spokesman for Northern Spirit said: "The train collided with the man about 200 yards after leaving the Interchange and would have been going at quite a slow speed.

"The driver was very shocked and relieved of his duty at the scene. All services to the Interchange are being diverted via Elland towards Halifax but trains to Forster Square are running as normal."