The
derailment


of
a
ScotRail
HST
at
Carmont,
near
Stonehaven
in
north
east
Scotland,
was
caused
by
Network
Rail’s
failure
to
impose
a
speed
restriction
and
to
maintain
an
embankment
drain
properly,
a
court
has
been
told.

The
derailment
on
12
August
2020,
in
which
three
people
lost
their
lives,
happened
after
a
Glasgow-bound
train
had
been
reversed
at
Carmont
signal
box
because
of
another
landslide
further
up
the
line,
following
several
hours
of
very
heavy
rain.

The
HST
was
returning
to
Aberdeen
when
it
collided
with
debris
on
the
track.
The
train
collided
with
a
bridge
parapet
and
some
of
the
vehicles
overturned
down
an
embankment
in
the
crash,
which
claimed
the
lives
of
45-year
old
driver
Brett
McCullough,
58-year
old
conductor
Donald
Dinnie
and
62-year
old
passenger
Christopher
Stuchbury.
Six
people
were
hurt.

The
High
Court
in
Aberdeen
was
told
that
the
drain
had
been
built
by
contractor
Carillion,
which
has
since
ceased
trading,
but
Network
Rail
had
not
made
sure
it
was
constructed
properly.
It
had
also
failed
to
have
a
handover
meeting
with
Carillion
after
the
work
had
been
done,
and
did
not
have
a
proper
system
for
deailing
with
the
effects
of
bad
weather.
The
Met
Office
had
issued
an
amber
‘severe
weather’
warning
for
the
area
a
day
earlier.

Prosecutor
Alex
Prentice
KC
told
the
court:
‘Network
Rail
cooperated
fully
with
the
investigation,
and
from
the
outset
were
clear
that
this
case
would
result
in
a
guilty
plea.’

Network
Rail
has
admitted
two
breaches
of
the
Health
and
Safety
at
Work
etc
Act
1974.