07.02.18
RAIB to investigate Scottish train which derailed following major landslip
The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) has launched an investigation into a train derailment that occurred last month.
The incident happened at 06:47am on Monday 22 January 2018, when a passenger train traveling between Mallaig and Glasgow Queen Street struck a landslip.
The leading vehicle derailed, tilting to the left. There were two crew and five passengers on board at the time of the incident, but fortunately none were injured.
A specialist rail vehicle evacuated passengers to the nearest road access, and from there they completed their onwards journeys by taxi.
The derailment was on a remote section of track running between Lochailort and Glenfinnan, where the lines run across sloping ground above the shore of Loch Eilt.
Prior to the incident there had been a period of significant snow melt as well as moderately heavy rainfall, and a landslip originated above the railway boundary, displacing several hundreds of tonnes of material; a proportion of which was deposited on the railway.
The landslip also destroyed a section of fence that had been recently installed to protect the railway from loose boulders rolling down the adjacent slope.
RAIB’s investigation will aim to identify the sequence of events leading to the incident, including the arrangements for protecting the railway from landslip debris at that location, Network Rail’s procedures for managing the combined effect of rain and melting snow, and underlying management factors.
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