Network Rail ‘did not alert train driver’ of fallen tree before crash

‘There’s been a major failure somewhere that this wasn’t communicated in time to stop the train’

A TRAIN driver who narrowly escaped being killed in Storm Gerrit was not told of a warning from the public that a tree had fallen on the line, it has been alleged.

Sources said that a woman noticed the tree, which had fallen near Broughty Ferry station on the outskirts of Dundee, and contacted an emergency hotline 10 minutes before the collision. But Network Rail allegedly failed to pass on the warning to the driver of the 10.39am service from Aberdeen to Stirling last Wednesday. The driver had to hide behind his seat to avoid being struck by the tree as it went through the front of the train, destroying the windscreen and almost ripping the cab in two. Eyewitnesses reported him walking away uninjured. No passengers were hurt on the Scotrail Intercity 125 train.

The Sunday Mail reported that a woman had noticed the tree was blocking the line at the rear of a relative’s home and later saw the collision.

A source told The Scottish Sun on Sunday: “A member of the public had contacted Network Rail 10 minutes before the accident – but they failed to pass on this information to the driver. The tree was hanging across the line at the driver’s eye level. Luckily, the driver made a split-second decision that saved his life when he jumped to the ground.”

Paul Sweeney, a Scottish Labour MSP, said: “The issue is that an individual phoned the Network Rail emergency helpline as they were concerned about this and there’s been a major failure somewhere that this wasn’t communicated in time to stop the train.

“I’m sure the Rail Accident Investigation Branch will look at all these lines of inquiry but it’s another serious concern that it wasn’t picked up.”

A Network Rail spokesman said: “Safety is our top priority and we are actively reviewing this incident. Before Storm Gerrit arrived, we put measures in place to slow trains down and stop services in areas where extreme conditions were forecast, to keep our passengers and colleagues safe.”

Concerns were also expressed at the devastation caused by the tree about the strength of the fibreglass used to construct the driver’s cab in the Intercity 125.

David Lister, the safety, engineering and sustainability director of Scotrail, said: “The high-speed trains have operated across Britain for many years with a good safety record.

“These trains have received all the necessary legal and safety certifications authorising them as safe to operate on the UK rail network.”

He said that talks have been held with train drivers’ union, Aslef, on their safety concerns about the trains and further meetings were planned.