Rail horror ‘a disaster waiting to happen’
As it emerges earlier service was cancelled after torrential rain, a disturbing question over rail disaster:
RAIL chiefs were last night facing questions over why a train that derailed causing the deaths of three people was allowed to run following torrential rain and storms.
Industry experts said the horror crash, in which part of the train plunged down an embankment, had been ‘a disaster waiting to happen’.
It emerged yesterday that the 6.38am from Aberdeen to Glasgow was cleared to proceed despite an earlier service being cancelled, with one industry website claiming this was down to flooding.
Transport Secretary Michael Matheson said the circumstances surrounding the train’s departure ‘will all have to be looked at’ as part of the probe.
On a visit to the crash scene yesterday, Westminster Transport Secretary Grant Shapps praised the ‘extraordinary and humbling’ actions of the emergency services.
But questions were raised over why the train was allowed to leave Aberdeen.
A senior rail industry source told the Mail: ‘We have been surprised for some time that services have been allowed to run after severe weather overnight.
‘In some respects, this was a disaster waiting to happen, especially as the severity of weather incidents appears to be increasing year on year.
‘The investigation is likely to focus heavily on why this train was allowed to run despite the clear risk of landslips.’
An earlier service on the same morning, the 5.36am from Aberdeen to Glasgow Queen Street, had been cancelled.
The Recent Train Times website, which collects data from Network Rail, claimed this was because of ‘severe flooding beyond that which could be mitigated on Network Rail infrastructure’.
According to data, the 6.38am service, which ended up derailing after hitting a landslip, was cancelled after reaching Stonehaven, Kincardineshire. ScotRail declined to comment on the cancellation yesterday.
Experts said the entire rail industry had been left ‘shocked’ by the extreme severity of the accident.
Tony Miles, of Modern Railways magazine, said: ‘The train’s two “black box” data recorders will have records of conversations between the driver and the signalman, which will be vital to the investigation.
‘That will give a clear idea of who gave the train clearance to run through the area, and what speeds the driver was assigned.
‘A lot of us in the industry are shocked because the wreckage was very severe – that could only have happened if the train was going at considerable speed, or if it hit a hard obstacle such as a boulder.’
Asked yesterday why the train had been allowed to run in the severe weather conditions, Mr Matheson said: ‘These are issues which will all have to be looked at as part of the investigation.
‘Obviously there will be information they (investigators) will be able to obtain from the carriages but we won’t be able to access that until all the stability issues are sorted so that it is safe to do so.
‘All of that data will be used to build understanding of what exactly has happened with the train at that point and also the decisions around what should have happened.’
With dozens of emergency services personnel still working at the scene – in better weather conditions – damage caused by the derailment could be clearly seen yesterday, with one burned carriage on its side on the embankment. Fragments of a carriage could also be seen under another part of the train.
The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) is expected to publish its initial findings today.
The report is likely to be a basic summary of events but may give an indication as to how fast the train was travelling.
A full report will follow in nine months to a year and could lead to multi-million pound fines for Network Rail, the body responsible for the upkeep of Britain’s railways.
Network Rail’s chief executive Andrew Haines, who yesterday visited the crash site with Mr Shapps, blamed climate change for threatening the safety of Britain’s railways.
He said: ‘Our network was designed for a temperate climate, and it’s challenged when we get extremes such as storms and floods. We’re seeing this more and more, and although we can address them on the ground with precautionary measures, we are acutely aware we need a long-term resolution, and we had already secured additional funding and resources to help achieve this.’
Mr Shapps said: ‘I think it’s far too soon to jump to conclusions about what’s happened here. My observation is that a flash flood seems to have wreaked havoc at the scene behind us.
‘Rail, in general, has an enormous budget – £46billion – over what’s called a controlled period.
‘It’s record sums of money; we’ve never spent more on our railways. But I don’t want to get into speculation, let’s find the facts.’
Assistant Chief Constable Judi Heaton said: ‘We can confirm that a joint investigation into the tragic
‘Too soon to jump to conclusions’