Fallen tree warning too late to stop train crash

A train crashed into a fallen tree at 84mph (135 kmh) in Broughty Ferry because a warning call did not reach the driver in time, an investigation has found.

The driver of the train only escaped serious injury after applying the emergency brakes and sheltering behind the driving seat immediately before the impact.

The report added that Dundee City Council did not effectively manage the risk of trees falling from its land onto adjacent railway lines.

The incident took place at 13:09 on 27 December last year, causing significant damage to the driving cab.

There were no physical injuries to the 37 passengers and three staff members on board the high-speed train (HST), which was travelling from Perth to Aberdeen.

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) report said that the train collided with the fallen tree about one mile (1.6km) from Broughty Ferry.

The tree had fallen from Barnhill Rock Gardens, a public park owned by Dundee City Council, and was brought down by winds during Storm Gerrit.

The report said the tree's soil limited its ability to resist the heavy wind it was subjected to.

It added that three nearby trees had been felled seven months earlier, increasing the exposure of the tree to winds from the Firth of Tay.

About 12 minutes before the collision, a member of the public saw the tree had fallen across the railway and contacted Network Rail using the public helpline.

The report noted: "The helpline call handler attempted to pass this information on to Network Rail's Scotland route control on a number of occasions, but the call was not answered until after the incident.

"This meant that a warning about the fallen tree did not reach the driver of the train in time to prevent the accident."

It added that the risk of trees in Barnhill Rock Gardens falling onto the railway not being effectively controlled was "the factor underlying the accident."

The report said: "Network Rail is reliant on neighbouring landowners controlling the risk associated with visually healthy trees falling onto the railway lines from outside of the railway boundary.

"However, Dundee City Council did not effectively manage the risk of trees falling from its land onto the adjacent railway lines."

The report noted that since the accident, Network Rail had provided helpline staff with an additional contact number for use in emergencies.

It recommended that the council should review its management of the trees it is responsible for to "ensure that it is effectively controlling the risk of them falling onto the railway."

The report also said that the Carmont steering group set up in the wake of the fatal 2020 derailment of a passenger train in Aberdeenshire should review its response to a recommendation to evaluate the additional risk to train occupants associated with the continued operation of HSTs.

A Dundee City Council spokesperson said: "The city council has received the report, and officers are looking in detail at the recommendations that have been made by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch.

"We continue to work with Network Rail to ensure effective control of the risk of trees falling onto the railway."