Nicotine withdrawals are likely to blame for a Victorian train driver disregarding two stop signals and entering a level crossing before its boom gates had come down.

In light of the near-miss, doctors should supervise safety-critical workers, such as train drivers, who want to give up smoking, an Australian Transport and Safety Bureau (ATSB) investigation has recommended.

In the incident, the driver had been moving a V/Line train from the outer Geelong suburb of Waurn Ponds to Geelong Station, on a service without passengers, when he passed two signals at ‘danger’ near Marshall Station.

The signals are the equivalent of a red light on the road.