Medium Transport; Low Wing; 2 Turbojet Eng
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP); Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Multiengine
Communication Breakdown
ATC Issue All Types; Conflict Ground Conflict; Critical; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Flight Crew Took Evasive Action
Airport; Procedure
Potential taxi incident while taxiing to takeoff Runway XX. Called Ground for taxi; given instructions to taxi Runway XX and give way to inbound [aircraft] adjacent gate and outbound 737. We followed the 737 out. Ground told us to contact Tower. Tower frequency was busy: he had traffic landing and taking off on [Runway] XY; plus takeoffs on Runway XX. As we ran the checklist; I'm looking ahead to hold short of Runway XY; watching the takeoff and landing traffic (ahead and to my right) as we reviewed our takeoff data. As we approached the intersection; Tower said 'pass behind the 757.' I looked left; and was surprised to see a 757; taxiing pretty fast; headed right towards us. I jumped on the brakes as his wingtip swung in an arc just ahead and left of us; as he turned and cruised rapidly across the runway. I crept up to the hold short line and watched landing traffic on [Runway] XY touch down; then Tower cleared us to cross. This fast moving 757; moving northwest; was either in our blind spot at our left; slightly ahead; or our relative motion gave no movement in our side window as we moved down. I don't think I was moving faster than about 12 or 14 knots; and I was anticipating slowing to stop for our assigned 'hold short' at Runway XY. Neither of us ever saw this 757 until Tower directed us to pass behind him. I did not hear Tower clear [the 757] across; although perhaps Tower did. The 757 acted as though he'd been told to expedite his crossing of [Runway] XY; by the way he whipped through the corner just ahead of us. It's possible that the 757 received the instructions from Ground Control; whose frequency we'd left as directed; and that Ground mistakenly told the 757 that [we] would give way. It had the feeling of a race to the intersection; like an uncontrolled country intersection; rather than two taxiways converging in a listed Hot Spot at a major airport. The closeness of the position; Tower's 'save the moment/just in time' instructions; and the speed of the 757 (if he was even looking at us; not slowing down; headed towards the same space; he acted pretty confident that I'd stop; in spite of my taxi lights being 'ON' and no change in our rate of speed) combined to be pretty unnerving. I've see plenty of mistakes made; by both Ground Control and pilots; during years of taxi ops; but this one took the cake: daytime; clear; no weather and we came 'this close' to hitting another aircraft on the ground. It felt like a near miss. I'd appreciate some follow up to see where the ball was dropped. Did we miss an instruction; possibly given to us just as we switched frequencies to Tower? If so; we certainly did not read it back. Did the 757 get a vague instruction; or a controller think that [the 757's] high rate of speed would carry him through the intersection well ahead of our jet?
Air Carrier Captain reported a ground conflict while taxiing resulting in maximum braking to avoid a collision.