Signalling system wiring error led to derailment

No-one was injured in last April's accident

A train derailed in the Highlands after it was wrongly diverted from one line to another.

The train was being used for tests at station platforms when its three rear bogies came off the line at Dalwhinnie, at about 03:00 on 10 April last year.

The five people on board were not injured.

In a new report, the Rail Accident Investigating Branch (RAIB) said the accident was caused by a wiring error that resulted in a failure of a signalling system.

Investigators said it was fortunate the incident had not been more serious.

Andrew Hall, chief inspector of rail accidents, said the signalling system did not detect that some points on the railway line were in an unsafe position.

He said: “Some of the causes of the accident at Dalwhinnie bear an alarming similarity to those found in the multi-fatal accident at Clapham Junction in 1988, and the more recent collision at Waterloo in 2017 which caused huge disruption on routes into London."

He added: "Thankfully no-one was injured. However, the train could have been carrying passengers and travelling at a much higher speed, and the outcome very different."