Stonehaven rail crash caused by poorly built drain unchecked by Network Rail, investigation finds

ITV News Scotland Correspondent Louise Scott reports on the findings of an investigation into the Stonehaven rail crash

A poorly built drainage system by the construction firm Carillion and "a catalogue of failures" by National Rail caused the Stonehaven rail crash that killed three people, an investigation has found.

A bund, added to the drain to reduce the risk of a landslips in 2011-12, significantly altered the flow of water and meant it was unable to cope with the heavy rain which fell in Aberdeenshire on the morning of the crash on 12 August 2020, the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) said in its findings.

Carillion, which went into compulsory liquidation in January 2018, failed to inform Network Rail it was adding the bund and no inspections were found to have been carried out by the government-owned firm, despite evidence of erosion being reported to them.

The RAIB also found that the refurbished HST train involved in the crash was designed before modern safety standards came into force, concluding “it is more likely than not that the outcome would have been better” if a train built to current regulations was involved.

Three people were killed when a ScotRail train derailed at 9.37am after hitting gravel and other stony material washed out from the drain.

They were the driver, Brett McCullough, 45; the conductor, Donald Dinnie, 58; and a passenger, Christopher Stuchbury, 62.

The other six people onboard were injured.

On the day of the crash, this caused a large amount of water to be diverted into the drain at one location, increasing the likelihood of gravel being washed out.

Investigators found no evidence that Network Rail carried out any inspection of the upper parts of the system between when it viewed the completed work in March 2013 and the accident and failed to add that section of the structure to an internal programme which would have triggered routine inspections and maintenance.

The inquiry also noted that the owner of the land where the system was installed took a photograph showing “slight erosion” in December 2012 which he passed on to Carillion or Network Rail.

Between 6am and 9am on the morning of the accident there was near-continuous heavy rain.

The 51.5mm which fell at the crash site was close to the average monthly total for the month of August in that region.

The 6.38am service from Aberdeen to Glasgow was returning towards Aberdeen at the time of the accident due to the railway being blocked.

It was travelling at 73mph, which was just below the normal permitted speed for that line.

The RAIB said no instruction was given by railway controllers or signallers that the train should run slower, with one signaller telling the driver the line was “fine”.

The inquiry found the controllers had not been given the information or training they needed to effectively manage “complex situations” such as the one they were encountering on the day of the crash.

Network Rail’s management processes had not identified or addressed weaknesses in the way it mitigated the consequences of extreme rainfall.

The organisation also failed to implement measures following previous severe weather events.

The RAIB found that the refurbished HST train involved in the crash was designed before modern safety standards came into force.

It concluded “it is more likely than not that the outcome would have been better” if a train built to current regulations was involved.

Some 20 safety recommendations were made to improve railway safety, many of which were directed at Network Rail.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said it would be a “disservice” to the men who died if lessons were not learned.

He said: “I fully expect the rail industry to ensure all the recommendations of this report are actioned and that the vital work to make our network safer and more resilient continues, so no other families have to experience what theirs tragically did.”

Neil Davidson, partner at law firm Digby Brown Solicitors, which represents injured passengers and the relatives of one of the people killed, said the report highlights “a catalogue of failures within Network Rail”.

He went on: “Many now hope further action will be taken against Network Rail.”

Andrew Haines, Network Rail chief executive, said: “We must do better and we are utterly committed to that.”

He added: “We have invested tens of millions towards improving the general resilience of our railway and how we predict and respond to such events.

“But this remains a multi-generational challenge and there is still much to do.”

The crash was the first involving the fatality of a passenger onboard a train in Britain since the Grayrigg derailment of 2007.