Prince praises bravery of train crash workers
● Charles meets emergency crews and visits scene of derailment
The Prince of Wales thanked emergency workers for their bravery as he visited the site of this week’s fatal Aberdeenshire train crash.
Prince Charles, known as the Duke of Rothesay while in Scotland, visited the site and surveyed the wreckage from a hillside.
Three people died on Wednesday when the 6.38am Aberdeen to Glasgow Queen Street Scotrail train crashed near Stonehaven during heavy rain.
The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) has confirmed the train struck a landslip and derailed.
After coming off the tracks it continued travelling in roughly a straight line for about 90 metres before hitting and destroying a barrier on the edge of a bridge, leading the locomotive car and one carriage to plunge down an embankment. Network Rail said the control centre was alerted to the fatal derailment in Aberdeenshire – in an area with poor mobile reception – in less than tenminutes.
Charles met emergency responders including Pc Liam
Mercer and Pc Eilidh Mccabe, who were the first police on the scene, and commended them on their bravery.
He was taken to a socially distanced circle of workers including members of the police, fire service, Coastguard and Network Rail.
Many spoke of their experiences dealing with the derailment and the sight of burning carriages.
Driver Brett Mccullough, 45, conductor Donald Dinnie, 58, and passenger Christopher Stuchbury, 62, lost their lives in the crash.
It is understood that all of those who died were local to the area. Six other people were injured in the crash – four have since left Aberdeen Royal Infirmary while two remain in a stable condition.
Police Scotland, British Transport Police and rail regulator the Office of Rail and Road are carrying out an investigation separate to the RAIB inquiry.
Network Rail is inspecting trackside slopes across the country as part of a Government-ordered review following the crash.
Network Rail said: “We don’t yet have the complete picture but any suggestion there were hours between the derailment occurring and the control centre being alerted is categorically untrue.
“It was certainly less than 10 minutes, at a time when an awful accident had occurred, fatally injuring both members of the operational train crew, in a remote rural location with poor mobile reception – but not no signal, there was no blackout – and in horrendous weather.”