AN investigation has been launched after two passengers left a train on the wrong side of the tracks after staff accidentally released the doors.

No Greater Anglia customers were injured during the incident on Tuesday - the first day of RMT strike action.

Both passengers pressed the button to open the doors and exited the train on the side with a fence before heading towards the platform.

The correct safety procedures were then applied, the rail firm says, and other commuters left on the correct side of the train.

Richard Dean, train service delivery director, said: “We are undertaking an investigation into an incident which took place after a train arrived at Ipswich station, and are following all of our usual safety procedures.

“Our stand-in conductors have been fully trained and had to pass safety, competency and medical tests. They safely operated over 500 services on Tuesday.”

The outcome of the investigation, affecting the 1.50pm service from Peterborough to Ipswich, will be shared with trade union health and safety representatives.

But fresh calls have been made by the RMT to rail safety regulators the Railway and Safety Standards Board and the Office of Road and Rail, and Greater Anglia’s owners for the company to fully disclose its safety breaches.

General secretary Mick Cash said: “Signals being almost passed at red, trains not being operated by drivers due to safety concerns and now passengers getting out of the wrong side of the train and on to the tracks.

“This is all because Greater Anglia is determined to break the strike at any costs by using staff who have had a few days training.

“Now following the revelations of safety breaches reported by the media, Greater Anglia has jeopardised safety further by taking down their own internal daily log which reports safety breaches.

“It is trying to hide the threat to safety from staff and passengers alike.”

Greater Anglia has been accused of breaching its own safety regulations for letting back office staff act as conductors during strike action.

The RMT union says industry guidelines require any staff who perform conductor duties to have four months of training, which it claims the rail company failed to follow.

It is also alleged that since Tuesday, Greater Anglia removed its internal daily log which advises relevant employees of safety-related incidents within the company.

The firm did not respond directly to the allegations, but Mr Dean has assured customers that a safe service operated during the strikes, which saw part two today.