Stonehaven train derailment was avoidable with proper drainage, sheriff finds

A fatal train crash near Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire could have been avoided if a drain had been built correctly, BBC News reported. Three men died in August 2020 when a passenger train derailed following heavy rain. [1][2]

The passenger train was travelling back to Aberdeen when it struck a landslip near Carmont, west of Stonehaven, Wikipedia describes. Of the nine people on board the train, three were killed and six suffered injuries. [2]

Sheriff Johnston issued a 199-page determination following the inquiry, according to BBC News. She did not make any new recommendations, noting that the Rail Accident Investigation Branch had already completed a thorough investigation with 20 comprehensive recommendations for the rail industry. [1]

BBC News reported that Sheriff Johnston highlighted a significant cultural shift within Network Rail regarding severe weather. Network Rail now treats rainfall as a hazard to operations and makes far greater use of drones and helicopter aerial surveys to inspect the railway network. [1]