Collapsed wall rail line in Aberdeenshire closed for rest of week

The bridge wall collapsed on Friday

The rail line between Stonehaven and Montrose will be closed all this week after a bridge wall collapsed near the site of last year's fatal derailment.

The 24m (79ft) section of the side wall fell on Friday, about a mile north of where three people died last August.

Network Rail Scotland said the height of the structure and its rural location make it a "complex" repair project to carry out.

Replacement bus services are in operation.

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The structure is located three miles north of the Carmont signal box.

Liam Sumpter, Network Rail's route director for Scotland, said: "We are sorry for the disruption the closure of the line between Montrose and Stonehaven is causing to some customers.

"Our engineers are continuing their structural assessment of the damage to the bridge parapet. These checks are progressing well, but the height of the structure and its rural location make this a complex project for our engineers to carry out safely.

"Our experts will continue their assessment over the coming days as our recovery teams on site make plans for its repair."

A 24m section of the bridge parapet collapsed

Specialist staff are also checking similar bridges as a precaution.

The line between Aberdeen and Dundee had just reopened in November, nearly three months after the Stonehaven derailment.

The driver, a conductor and a passenger died when the Aberdeen to Glasgow service derailed near Stonehaven on 12 August after heavy rain.

An interim report said the train hit washed-out rocks and gravel.