Union calls for ScotRail high-speed trains to be retired after Stonehaven accident –

The RAIL regulator was asked to shut down high-speed trains in Scotland following the Stonehaven train accident which killed three people.

Transport workers union TSSA sounded the alarm after a report from the Railroad Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) found evidence of “areas of significant corrosion” in damaged areas of railway carriages, including stop points designed to protect passengers and staff in the event of an accident. accident.

The RAIB report on the accident revealed areas of corrosion in the damaged areas of the bus structures.

Driver Brett McCullough, 45, driver Donald Dinnie, 58, and passenger Christopher Stuchbury, 62, died when the high-speed train from Aberdeen to Glasgow Queen Street crashed into a landslide and derailed. in August 2020.

Although the accident was caused by the train crashing into pebbles floating on the tracks, the report revealed that the train in question was designed before modern safety standards were applied.

The dead are the driver, 45-year-old Brett McCullough; boss, Donald Dinnie, 58; and one passenger, 62-year-old Christopher Stuchbury, injured six others on board.

TSSA fears corrosion was detected during the car refurbishment in 2019 and repairs were allowed, but there was no photographic evidence that the work had been done.

During the derailment, the pillars of the impact were completely cut, causing what the RAIB calls “complete loss of survival at the front entrance of the car in front”.

The TSSA union wrote to the Rail and Road Office (ORR) asking rail companies across the UK, including ScotRail, to “withdraw InterCity 125 High Speed ​​Rail (HST) passenger service vehicles because of their risk” . poses for passengers who can survive conditions of derailment.

The YHTs, which have served on British railways for more than 40 years, were relaunched by ScotRail 4 years ago.

One of the first, named after the designer Sir Kenneth Grange, is on display at the National Railroad Museum in York.

The RAIB found that the train derailed as it crashed into debris that was swept away by a faulty drainage system built between 2011 and 2012 when outsourcing giant Carillion went bankrupt.

Network Rail, which owns the infrastructure, and the drainage designers were unaware that Carillion had not built it to specification and therefore were unable to safely meet the water flows that morning.

But investigators also found that the refurbished high-speed train involved in the accident was designed before the introduction of modern standards, with design features aimed at minimizing damage to the train in the event of a collision or derailment.

RAIB said the result would be better if the train met modern “shock resistance” standards.

He also warned that due to the pandemic there were only nine people on the train at the time of the accident and that in normal times the death toll would certainly be much higher. ScotRail estimates there will be three to six times as many passengers on the train, except in the event of a pandemic.

Scotland, one of which was at the center of the roller coaster crash, should consider scrapping its old high-speed trains, Transport Minister Jenny Gilruth said.

It confirmed that a steering group from Transport Scotland will review the safety performance of legacy rail cars, including InterCity 125 (HST) high-speed trains.

TSSA Secretary General Manuel Cortes said, “The lack of photographic evidence of Wabtec performing corrosion repairs on the derailed HST is a red flag for all other YHTs in the repair process.”

“We cannot allow potentially dangerous trains to continue running on Scottish railways. Today I wrote a letter to Ian Prosser, Chief Railway Inspector and Director of Railway Safety, in which I asked railway companies across the UK, including ScotRail, to order them to collect their HSTs from service passengers due to the risk they pose to survivors. in derailment conditions.

“Of course it is time to ban the TGVs from our railways. They were great back then, but that day is nearly 50 years ago and they don’t meet modern safety standards. But at least, ORR should remove all HSTs from service until they have been extensively checked for signs of corrosion and necessary repairs.

“It would be an insult to the memory of the driver, driver and passenger Brett McCullough, Donald Dinnie and Chris Stuchbury who lost their lives in the accident, it would be disrespectful if we didn’t take action now to ensure such accidents never happen again.”

He told the ORR they were looking forward to their recommendations being actually implemented and said he urged the regulator “to order British rail companies – including ScotRail – to take back passenger service vehicles. ability of passengers to survive conditions of derailment “.

Herald Scotland:

ScotRail COO Ian McConnell said, The RAIB report makes it clear that high-speed trains were not the cause of the accident and that there is not enough evidence to show that a more modern train can prevent derailment.

“As the RAIB report points out, high-speed trains have been operating in the UK for many years with good safety results. These trains have received all necessary legal and safety certifications ensuring they operate safely on the UK rail network.

Source: Wales Online

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