Summary

  • Network Rail is facing a series of charges under the Health and Safety at Work Act over the Stonehaven crash in August 2020

  • Three people died when a train derailed in Aberdeenshire after hitting a landslide following heavy rain

  • The victims were driver Brett McCullough, conductor Donald Dinnie and passenger Christopher Stuchbury

  • The case is being heard at the High Court in Aberdeen

  • Network Rail is accused of not warning the driver that it was unsafe to drive on a section of track and not telling him to reduce his speed

  • It is also accused of failures over the maintenance and inspection of drainage in the area

Live Reporting

Edited by Calum Watson

  1. What are the charges?

    Network Rail is facing a number of charges under the Health and Safety at Work Act.

    The company is accused of failing to impose an emergency speed restriction on the train, of not warning the driver that it was unsafe to drive on the section of track, and of not telling him to reduce his speed.

    It is also accused of failures in the construction, inspection and maintenance of drainage in the Carmont area, where the crash took place, and of failures in adverse and extreme weather planning.

    It is alleged that as a result of the company's failings, three people were so severely injured that they died in the crash on 12 August 2020.

  2. What happened in the crash?

    Donald Dinnie, Christopher Stuchbury and Brett McCullough

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

    The Stonehaven rail crash happened on 12 August 2020 after heavy rain and storms caused flooding across Aberdeenshire.

    Aberdeen was in lockdown at the time, and the 06:38 ScotRail service to Glasgow Queen Street had only seven passengers and two staff on board as it made its way south.

    At 06:59 the driver was advised of a landslip on the route ahead so the train was held at Carmont for more than two-and-a-half hours before crossing onto the northbound track and heading back to Aberdeen.

    It had reached a speed of 73mph when at 9:37 it ran into debris from another landslip and was derailed.

    It continued on and deviated to the left before striking the parapet of a bridge over the Carron Water.

    Three people died in the crash and six other passengers were injured.

    The victims were driver Brett McCullough, 45; conductor Donald Dinnie, 58; and passenger Christopher Stuchbury, 62.

  3. Network Rail in court over fatal derailment

    The crash sceneReuters

    Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of the court case over the Stonehaven rail crash, which led to the deaths of three people in 2020.

    Network Rail is appearing in court to face a number of health and safety charges in relation to the derailment in Aberdeenshire, which followed a landslide.

    The hearing is taking place at the High Court in Aberdeen on Thursday morning, although it's actually being held in the Sheriff Court building.

    The case will call under a section 76 indictment, which suggests that a guilty plea may be offered.