Network Rail, the organisation responsible for maintaining the UK’s rail infrastructure, has been fined £6.7 million after admitting a series of failings that resulted in a tragic train crash near Stonehaven, Scotland, in August 2020. This catastrophic incident claimed the lives of three individuals and left six others injured.
The fatal accident occurred when the Aberdeen to Glasgow service derailed at Carmont after encountering a landslide triggered by heavy rainfall. Network Rail pleaded guilty to a range of maintenance and inspection failures that played a role in the accident. They also admitted to neglecting to alert the train’s driver about the unsafe track conditions or to instruct him to reduce his speed.
The three victims of this tragic incident were the train’s driver, Brett McCullough, aged 45, conductor Donald Dinnie, aged 58, and passenger Christopher Stuchbury, aged 62.
Judge Lord Matthews, presiding over the case at the High Court in Aberdeen, expressed that no penalty could ever compensate for the profound loss suffered by the victims’ families and the survivors. He acknowledged the haunting impact of the crash images and emphasised that the memories of those affected would endure.
Lord Matthews further noted that while the distressing images captured the loss of machines, the true magnitude of the tragedy lay in the lives that were lost and the trauma experienced by survivors.
The judge highlighted that there may have been missed opportunities to take appropriate action, and the level of culpability was deemed high, considering the substantial risk exposed to many individuals over the years. The weather conditions leading up to the crash were described as “unprecedented.”
Lord Matthews mentioned that if the case had proceeded to trial, Network Rail could have faced a fine of £10 million.
Network Rail has acknowledged its commitment to improving railway safety following the incident. They have been implementing recommendations made by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) and have made substantial changes to how they manage the risk of severe weather on their network.
Since the accident, Network Rail conducted inspections of similar locations across Britain, surveyed all types of trackside drainage on Scotland’s railway, and invested millions to enhance the railway’s resilience. They have also revised their procedures for managing train services during severe weather warnings and introduced a team of weather experts for real-time weather analysis.
A fatal accident inquiry has been announced to further investigate the circumstances surrounding the tragic Stonehaven train crash. The aim of this inquiry is to prevent similar incidents in the future and ensure the safety of railway.
