Tube near-miss after packed train careers the WRONG way down track

The bungling driver averted disaster by slamming on the brakes as soon as he spotted the second train directly in his path.

He stopped just in time as terrified passengers were thrown across carriages.

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The near-catastrophe happened because the driver got into the cab at the back end of the Northern line train instead of the front and set off southwards from Camden Town - the way it had already come.

Then the sloppy operator failed to go through the correct departure procedure - allowing the train to move off in the wrong direction.

The shocked driver only realised his near-fatal mistake when he saw a stationary train directly in front of him.

He hit the emergency brakes at a speed of 15mph but it still took the train 108 metres to stop - and it ground to a halt just 20 metres from the other carriages.

The terrifying incident happened at the height of rush hour when both trains were packed with commuters.

A spokesman for the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB), whose report into the near-miss has just been published, said: "It is hard to imagine what the damage would have been if the trains had smashed into each other.

"Thankfully, the driver saw the other train and stopped just in time."

The driver was sacked after the astonishing incident, which occurred on June 10 last year, and no longer works for London Underground.

A raft of recommendations has been made to Transport for London (TfL) to prevent disaster in future.

A TfL spokeswoman refused to say how many passengers were on the train.

She said: "The driver was removed from his duties and no longer operates trains on London Underground.

"We welcome the recommendations made by the Rail Accident Investigation Board, which we will review against the actions that were taken following our own investigation."

New measures drafted in include extra staff training, better operational procedures and more warning signs.

Drivers are going to be given "familiarity inductions" to train stations so they can get accustomed in case they ever have to change trains in the future.

At the time, London Assembly member Brian Coleman called for an urgent inquiry into the blunder.

He said: "It beggars belief - there ought to be the most basic safety measures in place to stop this from happening.

"You shouldn't be able to drive a train the wrong way down a tunnel - it's like a little old lady going the wrong way down the M4 motorway."