Recommendations must be implemented after three Scots died in train derailment
Friends and family of three men killed in Scotland's worst rail disaster of recent times are right to be concerned why recommendations made after the tragedy still have not been implemented.
Driver Brett McCullough, 45, conductor Donald Dinnie, 58, and passenger Christopher Stuchbury, 62, all died when a ScotRail service derailed at Carmont, near Stonehaven, in August 2020.
Six others were injured after the train hit debris washed out from a drain while returning to Aberdeen due to a blocked line. Dozens more would likely have been injured or killed if the service had been running during a normal working day – but passenger numbers were low due to the Covid pandemic.
Network Rail was fined £6.7m after admitting a series of failings which led to the deaths in 2023.
But the RMT union, which represents rail staff, has warned critical safety issues have still not been addressed following the tragedy.
The union is absolutely right to demand that every single recommendation from the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) report must be implemented without delay.
It's simply not good enough that five years after the accident took place, and three years since the RAIB set out what needed to change, that so many safety recommendations are still outstanding.
Friends and family of the victims deserve to know that lessons have been learned and a tragedy of this sort is unlikely to happen again.
Rail crashes may be rare in 21st - century Scotland, but that is no excuse to allow vigilance to drop.
Cancer prevention better than cure
The war on cancer is taking great strides forward with new drugs being approved for use at a rapid pace.
These treatments can often prolong life or even send the disease into remission.
But when it comes to prevention, there is a lot of room for improvement.
Sir Chris Hoy is currently calling for more testing for prostate cancer in men after his terminal diagnosis.
Now campaigner Elaine Cunningham is hoping to raise similar concerns over bowel cancer.
But with screening for the disease starting at 50, she says many younger people may not realise they have bowel cancer until it is too late.
She wants screening to begin at 30, especially for those with a family history of the illness or other warning signs.
Prevention is always better than cure so it makes sense for Elaine's call to be seriously considered.
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