Aberdeen to Dundee route re-opened

ALMOST THREE months after the tragic derailment at Carmont on August 12, 2020 the line between Aberdeen and Dundee was reopened to traffic on November 3. The incident saw the 0638 Aberdeen to Glasgow SCOTRAIL service hit a landslide at Carmont after heavy overnight rain while it was returning to Aberdeen because the line south had been blocked by another landslide. Sadly, three people, driver Brett McCullough, conductor Donald Dinnie and passenger Christopher Stuchbury, all lost their lives in the incident.

Significant harm was done to the railway infrastructure, including extensive damage to the track, bridge, embankments and drainage systems. Details of the huge amount of rescue and remedial work done are:

• Building a new 900m road and temporary bridges over the surrounding farmland to bring specialist lifting equipment to the site.

• Constructing a 600-tonne crawler crane to carefully lift the derailed carriages from the railway.

• Replacing more than 500m of damaged track, 70m of bridge parapets and relaying 400m of telecoms cables.

• Repairing and enhancing drainage systems and flood defences above and below the line.

• Rebuilding the railway embankment beneath the accident site.

While the line was closed SCOTRAIL ran a shuttle service between Aberdeen and Stonehaven and between Montrose and Edinburgh to keep customers in the north east moving. Replacement bus services have also been in place between Aberdeen and Edinburgh, linking into cross-border trains.