Drainage installation fault led to Carmont HST disaster
THE failure of a drainage system that had not been built to its design specification was the primary cause of the Carmont derailment on August 12, 2020, according to the report by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch.
Three people lost their lives in the accident – driver Brett McCullough, conductor Donald Dinnie, and passenger Christopher Stuchbury – and six other passengers were injured, including an off-duty Scotrail conductor.
“RAIB considers it more likely than not that the outcome would have been better if the train had been compliant with modern crashworthiness standards”
The Scotrail HST was travelling at 73mph as it returned to Stonehaven after its intended path south was blocked by a landslip. It was derailed after hitting debris washed out of a drainage trench. The leading power car hit a bridge parapet before plunging down an embankment, with the trailer cars jack-knifing across both tracks.
Because the accident occurred during the Covid-19 pandemic, fewer people were travelling. RAIB estimated that the number of passengers on the
