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Daily Record
4 days ago
- Health
- Daily Record
Recommendations must be implemented after three Scots died in train derailment
"Rail crashes may be rare in 21st - century Scotland, but that is no excuse to allow vigilance to drop." 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. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
The Herald Scotland
4 days ago
- General
- The Herald Scotland
Stonehaven victims remembered five years on from rail crash
Poor track conditions caused by heavy rain had forced the train to return to Aberdeen Station. Passenger Christopher Stuchbury, 62, driver Brett McCullough, 45, and conductor Donald Dinnie, 58, died, while six others were injured. Christopher Stuchbury, Donald Dinnie, and Brett McCullough (L-R) were killed after the train derailed near Stonehaven. On Tuesday, the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT), paid tribute to the trio and called on Network Rail to implement all of the safety recommendations made in a 2022 report. As of the Rail Accident Investigation Branch's most recent report, published earlier this year, 8 of the 20 recommendations remain 'open', which means they have yet to be fully addressed. Recommendations included taking action to correct faulty drainage design, control room functions, and train crashworthiness, as well as other 'critical safety issues'. RMT General Secretary Eddie Dempsey said: 'Our thoughts today are with the families of Donald, Brett and Chris, and with those injured and traumatised in the crash. "But remembrance alone is not enough – there must be action, and it needs to be urgent. 'It is outrageous 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. "We demand better – for those we lost, for those who survived and for the safety of every worker and passenger going forward." Read more: 'Outrageous': Scots rail safety fears after Carmont crash as upgrades 'cut' by £127m Fatal Accident Inquiry to be held following Stonehaven train derailment Hundreds line the streets to pay tribute to Stonehaven train conductor However, a Network Rail statement said that 'meaningful progress' had been made over the last five years. It read: 'Since August 2020, we've been working hard to make our railway safer for passengers and colleagues. "We're investing more than £400m in projects to strengthen the railway's resilience to increasingly unpredictable weather." "Meaningful progress has been made on the recommendations from the Carmont investigation, which includes co-ordinated action across all Network Rail routes, and we continue to work closely with the ORR, train operators, and other key stakeholders." Network Rail was fined £6.7m in 2023 as a result of the crash, and more than £1m was later paid out to settle a series of civil suits. An initial Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) hearing into the causes of the derailment is set to be held on August 28th.
Scotsman
4 days ago
- General
- Scotsman
Nearly half safety recommendations into fatal Carmont rail crash still to be completed on 5th anniversary
Union anger at lack of faster action Sign up for the latest news and analysis about Scottish transport Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Passengers and staff remain at risk because nearly half the safety recommendations made after a fatal rail crash near Stonehaven have still to be fully implemented, a union has highlighted on its fifth anniversary on Tuesday. Eight of the 20 improvements, most directed at track owner Network Rail, remain 'open', which the Rail, Maritime and Transport union said meant 'safety critical safety issues have still not been addressed'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The Carmont crash involved a ScotRail Inter7City High Speed Train | John Devlin/The Scotsman Driver Brett McCullough, conductor and RMT member Donald Dinnie, and passenger Chris Stuchbury, died on August 12, 2020 when an Aberdeen-Glasgow ScotRail train hit debris washed onto the line at Carmont by heavy rain because of a wrongly-built drain. Network Rail was fined a record £6.7 million in 2023 after admitting health and safety failings. Safety recommendations made in a report by the official investigation into the crash, published nearly three-and-a-half years ago, included measures still to be completed such as derailment mitigation, drainage design and 'risk assessment of mitigating controls'. The others related to new works and maintenance processes, control room capability, and management assurance of control room functions. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The other two outstanding recommendations, on the crashworthiness of pre-1994 trains and corrosion limits, were directed at train owners and operators respectively, the latter including ScotRail. Replacements for the 40-year-old train fleet involved are being sought by Transport Scotland. The UK Department for Transport's rail accident investigation branch, which made the recommendations, said in May: 'A lot of work has been undertaken and progress made in closing the recommendations. However, eight remain open, indicating that there is still work to do.' RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said 'Our thoughts today are with the families of Donald, Brett and Chris, and with those injured and traumatised in the crash. "But remembrance alone is not enough – there must be action, and it needs to be urgent. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'It is outrageous 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.' Maryam Eslamdoust, general secretary of the Transport and Salaried Staffs Association, said: 'Every single recommendation from the RAIB report into this tragedy must be implemented without delay.' A Network Rail spokesperson said: 'Meaningful progress has been made on the recommendations from the investigation, which includes co-ordinated action across all Network Rail routes. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Since August 2020, we've been working hard to make our railway safer for passengers and colleagues. In the immediate aftermath of the accident, we changed how train services are managed during severe weather warnings. "We're investing more than £400m in projects to strengthen the railway's resilience to increasingly unpredictable weather. 'This includes enhanced weather forecasting with dedicated meteorologists, which allows us to introduce targeted speed restrictions or close lines when extreme conditions are expected.' An spokesperson for the Office of Rail and Road regulator said: 'The rail industry has taken significant steps to understand and address the causes and many recommendations have been closed. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'With those that remain open, they have agreed plans to implement the recommended actions. They are significant, fundamental improvement plans which are not short-term quick fixes.'
STV News
5 days ago
- General
- STV News
'Lessons must be learned' five years on from fatal train derailment
A union has warned 'lessons must be learned' five years on from a deadly train crash which killed three people in Aberdeenshire. Driver Brett McCullough, 45, conductor Donald Dinnie, 58, and passenger Christopher Stuchbury, 62 lost their lives when a ScotRail train struck a landslip and came off the tracks at a bridge in Carmont, near Stonehaven, on August 12, 2020. Six others were left injured after the train hit washed-out debris from a drain while returning to Aberdeen due to the line being blocked. Network Rail pled guilty over its involvement in the fatal crash, admitting it did not warn the train's driver it was unsafe to drive on that section of track, and failing to tell him to reduce his speed. Almost £1m in compensation was awarded to five passengers and two people who lost loved ones. STV News Driver Brett McCullough, 45, conductor Donald Dinnie, 58, and passenger, Christopher Stuchbury, 62 all died in the crash. On the fifth anniversary of the incident, rail union RMT warned that the government and Network Rail's failure to fully act on safety recommendations made following the fatal crash has left rail workers and passengers at continued risk. The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) concluded in 2022 that errors made during the system's construction by failed firm Carillion led to the incident. In its report, RAIB issued 20 safety recommendations, including action on drainage design, control room functions, risk management processes, and train crashworthiness. A report published in 2024 confirmed that eight recommendations remain open. The RAIB stated: 'A lot of work has been undertaken and progress made in closing the recommendations in the intervening years. However, eight remain open, indicating that there is still work to do.' The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has also warned that continuing with the current approach 'may lead to a failure to learn the lessons of Carmont'. RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said 'Our thoughts today are with the families of Donald, Brett and Chris, and with those injured and traumatised in the crash. 'But remembrance alone is not enough – there must be action, and it needs to be urgent. 'It is outrageous 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. 'We demand better – for those we lost, for those who survived and for the safety of every worker and passenger going forward.' A Transport Scotland spokesperson said: 'Our thoughts are first and foremost with all those affected by this tragic accident. While rail safety is reserved to the UK Government, it is a key priority, and we fully expect any required improvements and measures to be implemented. 'The Scottish Government takes the matter of safety on Scotland's Railway very seriously. In doing so, we also fully understand the duty of care that all parties involved in designing, constructing and operating the railway have to each other and to the travelling public, and the duty of co-operation those parties have to facilitate safe operation. 'We firmly believe that the prevention of accidents is the most effective mitigation.' Network Rail has been contacted for comment. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
