Stonehaven derailment probe 'large and complex'

A fatal accident inquiry (FAI) into the Stonehaven train derailment in which three men died will be "large and complex" and could last about two months, a hearing has been told.

The Aberdeen to Glasgow train derailed at Carmont in Aberdeenshire after hitting a landslide following heavy rain in 2020.

Driver Brett McCullough, 45, conductor Donald Dinnie, 58, and passenger Christopher Stuchbury, 62, died and Network Rail was fined £6.7m in 2023 after admitting a series of failings which led to the deaths.

A further preliminary hearing will be held later this year before a start date for the FAI can be set.

Sheriff Lesley Johnston, having her first involvement in the process, told the remote hearing she wanted to express her "sincere condolences" to all those affected.

Alex Prentice KC, for the Crown, said the forthcoming inquiry would be "very large and complex".

He said it was difficult to gauge its duration but it was thought it would be about eight to nine weeks.

Mr Prentice said a hybrid model might be best, with some remote evidence and some in person.

Sheriff Johnston said the preliminary hearing would continue on 23 June.

During a court case in 2023, Network Rail pleaded guilty to a number of maintenance and inspection failures before the crash.

It also admitted failing to warn the driver that part of the track was unsafe, or tell him to reduce his speed.

At the High Court in Aberdeen, the judge, Lord Matthews, said no penalty could compensate for the loss suffered by the families of those who died and the people injured.

Law firm Digby Brown later said that a total of nearly £1m in civil actions against Network Rail had been settled.

The train hit a landslide near Stonehaven after heavy rain in an area where a drainage system had been incorrectly installed.

The 06:38 service to Glasgow had been unable to complete its journey due to the conditions and was returning to Aberdeen when the accident happened.

A recording of the driver showed he queried with a signaller if any reduced speed was needed to return north. He was told everything was fine for normal speed.

The train struck debris from a landslide on the track, derailed and collided with a bridge parapet.