Three Lives Lost in Train Disaster That Could Have Been Prevented by a Properly Built Drain, Inquiry Finds

A devastating train crash that killed three men in Scotland could have been avoided if a drainage system had been built according to its approved design, a fatal accident inquiry has concluded more than six years after the tragedy.

The disaster happened on August 12, 2020, near Carmont, close to Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire. An Aberdeen-to-Glasgow passenger train derailed after striking debris washed onto the railway tracks during exceptionally heavy rainfall.

The three people who died were train driver Brett McCullough, 45, conductor Donald Dinnie, 58, and passenger Christopher Stuchbury, 62. Six other people aboard the train were injured.

An investigation led by Sheriff Lesley Johnston found that the drainage system had not been constructed in accordance with the original design. The inquiry concluded that the drain was unable to cope with the intense rainfall, allowing debris to wash onto the railway line and into the path of the train.

Construction company Carillion had been contracted by Network Rail to build the drainage system. However, investigators found that the finished structure differed from the approved plans, including the addition of a raised earth barrier known as a bund. The sheriff identified this feature as a significant factor in the drain’s failure.

The inquiry also found that Carillion had failed to prepare accurate records showing how the drain was actually constructed and provide them to Network Rail. Network Rail, in turn, had failed to ensure that the work was completed according to the design and that the required documentation was received.

Sheriff Johnston identified several precautions that might realistically have prevented the deaths. These included building the drain as designed, ensuring accurate construction drawings were handed over, and Network Rail complying with its own documentation requirements.

The train had been travelling at approximately 73mph when it struck the debris at around 9.37am. The impact caused it to derail and crash into the parapet of a bridge over the Carron Water, scattering the train’s carriages.

The inquiry also highlighted shortcomings in railway safety procedures, including a lack of routine inspection of part of the drainage system between March 2013 and the crash. It identified weaknesses in extreme-weather training and the systems used by railway control staff to respond to real-time weather information.

Network Rail had previously admitted health and safety failings connected to the disaster and was fined £6.7 million in 2023.

Despite the serious findings, the sheriff did not issue further safety recommendations, noting that most of the 20 recommendations made by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch after the crash had already been implemented, while the remaining measures were being progressed.

The findings bring renewed attention to the chain of construction and safety failures surrounding a tragedy that claimed three lives. For the families of McCullough, Dinnie and Stuchbury, the inquiry has provided a detailed account of how the disaster unfolded and identified steps that might have prevented it.

Source: DAILYMAIL