'Action still needed' five years after fatal derailment

Donald Dinnie, Christopher Stuchbury and Brett McCullough died in the 2020 crash

"Urgent action" is still needed to improve rail safety after the Stonehaven train derailment which left three men dead five years ago, a union has warned.

The Aberdeen to Glasgow train derailed at Carmont in Aberdeenshire on 12 August 2020 after hitting a landslide following heavy rain.

Driver Brett McCullough, 45, conductor Donald Dinnie, 58, and passenger Christopher Stuchbury, 62, died. Network Rail was fined £6.7m in 2023 after admitting a series of failings which led to the deaths.

The RMT union said eight of 20 safety recommendations still remained incomplete. Network Rail said "meaningful progress" had been made.

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) annual report for 2024, published earlier this year, revealed eight of its 20 safety recommendations remained "open".

These included control room capability and drainage design.

It was based on information provided by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) about work carried out before 31 March this year.

"Open" is described as the recommendation being taken into consideration and action being taken to implement it.

The ORR said the rail industry had taken "significant steps", and recommendations which remained open had "agreed plans to implement the recommended actions".

The fatal derailment happened after heavy rain

On the 5th anniversary, RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said: "Our thoughts are with the families of Donald, Brett and Chris, and with those injured and traumatised in the crash.

"But remembrance alone is not enough - there must be action, and it needs to be urgent.

"It is outrageous that five years after the accident took place, and three years since the RAIB set out what needed to change, that so many safety recommendations are still outstanding."

He added: "We demand better - for those we lost, for those who survived, and for the safety of every worker and passenger going forward."

RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said remembrance alone was not enough

Network Rail also said its thoughts were with everyone involved in the Carmont tragedy.

"Since August 2020, we've been working hard to make our railway safer for passengers and colleagues," a statement said.

"We're investing more than £400m in projects to strengthen the railway's resilience to increasingly unpredictable weather."

It added: "Meaningful progress has been made on the recommendations from the Carmont investigation, which includes co-ordinated action across all Network Rail routes, and we continue to work closely with the ORR, train operators, and other key stakeholders."

Flowers were left at a memorial plaque at Stonehaven's station on Tuesday

The ORR said there were "significant, fundamental improvement plans which are not short-term quick fixes".

Transport Scotland added: "While rail safety is reserved to the UK government, it is a key priority, and we fully expect any required improvements and measures to be implemented.

"We firmly believe that the prevention of accidents is the most effective mitigation."

What caused the train derailment?

The train hit a landslide near Stonehaven after heavy rain in an area where a drainage system had been incorrectly installed.

The 06:38 service to Glasgow had been unable to complete its journey due to the conditions and was returning to Aberdeen when the accident happened.

A recording of the driver showed he queried with a signaller if any reduced speed was needed to return north. He was told everything was fine for normal speed.

The train struck debris from a landslide on the track, derailed and collided with a bridge parapet.

Network Rail admitted maintenance and inspection failures

During a court case in 2023, Network Rail admitted a number of maintenance and inspection failures before the crash.

It also admitted failing to warn the driver that part of the track was unsafe, or tell him to reduce his speed.

At the High Court in Aberdeen, the judge, Lord Matthews, said no penalty could compensate for the loss suffered by the families of those who died and the people injured.

Law firm Digby Brown later said that a total of nearly £1m in civil actions against Network Rail had been settled.

A preliminary hearing for a Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) into the derailment is due to be held on 28 August.

A start date and estimated timescale could be set at that stage.