A fatal accident inquiry has found that the 2020 Carmont train derailment, which killed three people, might have been avoided if a trackside drain had been built correctly.
Sheriff Lesley Johnston issued her determination on Wednesday, 4 November 2026, after an inquiry into the crash near Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire. The BBC reported that the sheriff found the drain was not installed in accordance with its design and that precautions might realistically have prevented the accident.
The train, service 1T08, derailed on 12 August 2020 after striking debris washed from the drain onto the track during heavy rain. Driver Brett McCullough, conductor Donald Dinnie and passenger Christopher Stuchbury died. Six other passengers were injured, according to the Belfast Telegraph.
Inquiry identifies drainage and oversight failures
The drain was built in two phases in 2011 and 2012 by Carillion, which had been commissioned by Network Rail. The sheriff found it differed from the design in several respects, including its piping and materials, and that an added ridge affected how it worked. The Herald reported that the drain could not handle the surface water during the intense rainfall.
The findings also criticised Network Rail’s oversight. The sheriff said the company had failed to ensure the drain was built to the plans and that completed “as built” drawings were prepared and received. Carillion later went into compulsory liquidation, the Belfast Telegraph reported.
On the morning of the crash, the train had been unable to continue south after a landslip and was directed back towards Stonehaven. It struck the debris while travelling north at about 73mph, according to the inquiry reporting by the Independent.
Earlier fine and responses
Network Rail was fined £6.7 million in 2023 after admitting health and safety failings connected with the crash, the BBC reported. The sheriff did not make new recommendations, noting that the Rail Accident Investigation Branch had already made 20 recommendations after its investigation; the Independent reported that most had been implemented and the remaining ones were being progressed.
Following the determination, the RMT union called for rail infrastructure maintenance and renewal work to be brought in-house, arguing against outsourcing. Railnews reported the union’s response. Network Rail Scotland managing director Liam Sumpter said the company had made changes to its severe-weather risk management and to improve the resilience of Scotland’s railway, according to the BBC.
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