07.11.12
Scottish train derailment due to vandalism – BTP
The train derailment at Inverkeilor last Sunday was a result of vandalism, British Transport Police have confirmed.
The 08:04 CrossCountry service from Edinburgh to Aberdeen came off the tracks at Inverkeilor in Angus, with 36 passengers on board. Nobody was hurt.
BTP’s Detective Inspector Kevin McCormack said: “Fortunately, no-one was seriously injured during the incident and we now believe that the object found at the scene of the derailment must have been put there intentionally by someone.”
Services between Aberdeen and Glasgow Queen Street and Edinburgh Waverley were terminating at Montrose and restarting at Dundee, with replacement buses to Dundee from Montrose. Services from Queen Street and Edinburgh to Aberdeen via Dundee were also terminating at Dundee, with a replacement bus service onward to Aberdeen.
Train drivers union Aslef is calling for the introduction of rail safety modules in UK schools to prevent a repeat of the incident.
General secretary Mick Whelan said: “An understanding of the dangers and potential tragedies on railway lines at a young age is vital. It needs to be embedded in our young people. We can’t simply say that whoever did this is a wicked person and leave it at that. It is not one person. It is not an isolated accident, and it would be wrong to treat it as such.
“Whoever did this must be tracked down and punished. But that is not enough. We need to educate to prevent as well.”
(Above image is a library image, copyright Noel Slevin, used here under a Creative Commons licence, some rights reserved. A picture of the derailment is available here.)
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