Work starts at site of tragedy

Repairs under way where three people died

Work has started to repair the track at the site of the tragic Stonehaven rail crash. Three people died when the 6.38am ScotRail Aberdeen to Glasgow Queen Street service derailed at Carmont, near Stonehaven, on August 12.

The train hit a landslip as it tried to return to Aberdeen due to the weather.

A massive recovery operation removed the carriages last month, before the bridge and embankment was repaired.

Now Network Rail has announced engineers have started to re- lay 500m (1,640ft) of track.

Work will continue into November as teams remove and replace the track and re- lay 400m ( 1,312 ft) of telecoms cables.

Alex Hynes, managing director of Scotland’ s Railway for Network Rail, said: “This is a very complex and challenging recovery and repair operation.

“While we will reopen the line for customers as soon as possible, our focus throughout the recovery process has been on making sure we do all we can to learn from this terrible accident and try to prevent similar incidents happening in the future.”

The crews have worked day and night over the past few weeks to complete repairs to 70m ( 230ft) of bridge parapets and remove the crane pad built over the Carron Water for the recovery of the carriages in September.

Engineering work is also being carried out to repair and extend drainage systems on the track and lineside embankments.

Train driver Brett McCullough, conductor Donald Dinnie and passenger Christopher Stuchbur y died in the crash.

After the incident, Network Rail introduced a range of additional safety measures. As an immediate precaution, hundreds of sites with higher-risk trackside slopes, similar to those at Stonehaven, were inspected.

Network Rail has also launched two taskforces, led by independent experts, as part of its long- term response to climate change and the challenge of maintaining its portfolio of earthworks, many of which date from the Victorian era.

ScotRail is operating a shuttle service between Aberdeen and Stonehaven and between Dundee and Montrose to keep northeast customers moving.

VITAL REPAIRS: Workers lay new tracks at Stonehaven after August’s derailment.