Investigation confirms cause of Stonehaven train crash as Prince Charles visits site where three were killed

An investigation has confirmed the cause of the train derailment that killed three people in Stonehaven as Prince Charles paid a visit to the scene of the crash.

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) report confirmed the train, which had nine people on board at the time of the incident, struck a landslip covering the down line and derailed.

"At around 9.40 hrs on Wednesday 12 August 2020, all six vehicles of a passenger train derailed after striking a landslip around 1.4 miles (2.25 km) north-east of Carmont, Aberdeenshire," said the report.

The driver of the train, the train’s conductor and one passenger suffered fatal injuries following the accident.

The remaining passengers and member of train crew were taken to hospital.

RAIB explained that the High Speed train was on its way Glasgow Queen Street when it was stopped by a signaller who had just received a report from the driver of a train on the northbound line that a landslip was obstructing the up line between Carmont and Laurencekirk.

The decision was made for the train to return to Aberdeen but after travelling for around 1.4 miles (2.25 km), the train struck a landslip covering the down line and derailed.

"As the track curved to the right, the train continued in a roughly straight line for around 100 yards (90 metres) until it struck a section of bridge parapet, which was destroyed," said the report.

"The leading power car continued over the bridge and then fell from the railway down a wooded embankment, as did the third passenger carriage.

"The first passenger carriage came to rest on its roof, having rotated to be at right angles to the track. The second passenger carriage also overturned onto its roof and came to rest on the first carriage.

"The fourth passenger carriage remained upright and attached to the rear power car; it also came to rest on the first carriage. All wheelsets of the rear power car derailed, but it remained upright."

It comes as the Prince of Wales paid a visit to the site on Friday afternoon to pay tribute to the lives lost in the crash.

Charles, known as the Duke of Rothesay while in Scotland, visited the site and surveyed the wreckage from a hillside above.

Charles met emergency responders including Pc Liam Mercer and Pc Eilidh McCabe, who were the first officers 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 incident and the sight of burning carriages.

A Network Rail spokeswoman said in a statement the control centre was alerted to the fatal derailment in Aberdeenshire in under 10 minutes.

The statement said: “When it came to the accident being notified, it was a matter of minutes, but not immediate.

“We don’t yet have the complete picture but I can say that 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.”

More follows....