Network Rail has been fined £6.7 million after admitting failings that led to the deaths of three people in a train crash near Stonehaven in August 2020. The Aberdeen to Glasgow service derailed at Carmont after hitting a landslide following heavy rain.
The company pleaded guilty to maintenance and inspection failures, and to failing to warn the driver that part of the track was unsafe or instruct him to reduce speed. Driver Brett McCullough, 45, conductor Donald Dinnie, 58, and passenger Christopher Stuchbury, 62, died in the crash.
Sentencing at the High Court in Aberdeen, Lord Matthews said no penalty could compensate for the loss suffered by the families. He noted that opportunities to take appropriate action may have been missed and that the level of culpability was high. The judge added that the rail operator would have been fined £10 million if the case had gone to trial.
The crash occurred after a drainage system, incorrectly installed by construction firm Carillion, failed. Network Rail engineers had not fully inspected the system, so problems were spotted too late. A fatal accident inquiry will be held to help avoid a similar incident.
Speaking outside court, Ray McCullough, father of the driver, said the fine was “not enough”. Kevin Lindsay, Scottish organiser for train drivers' union Aslef, said the sentence offered “no comfort”. RMT union officials expressed anger, saying Network Rail got off lightly and that corporate manslaughter charges should be an option in future cases.
