A train derailment which resulted in the deaths of three men could have been avoided if a drain had been built correctly, a sheriff has concluded.

Driver Brett McCullough, 45, conductor Donald Dinnie, 58, and passenger Christopher Stuchbury, 62, died in the crash at Carmont, near Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire, in August 2020.

The train derailed after hitting debris which had washed from the drain following heavy rain.

After a fatal accident inquiry (FAI), Sheriff Lesley Johnston said it was not constructed and installed in accordance with its design, and found there were precautions which could have been taken which "might realistically have avoided the accident".
It follows the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) making 20 safety recommendations in its report back in 2022 into the crash.

That report had also highlighted the drainage system being incorrectly installed.

Looks like all of the Didcot Paddington services are canned due to overhead cable issues, plus Elizabeth Line services are reduced due to defective track.  A great day for Network Rail bingo players.

Didcot Parkway to London Paddington will be started from Reading.
It will no longer call at Didcot Parkway, Cholsey, Goring & Streatley, Pangbourne and Tilehurst.
This is due to damage to the overhead electric wires.

Alterations to services between Westbury and Salisbury

Due to a fault with the signalling system between Westbury and Salisbury fewer trains are able to run.
Train services running through these stations may be delayed by up to 20 minutes or revised. Disruption is expected until 14:15 04/11.

Customer Advice

Owing to an issue with the signalling system we are unable to operate the full timetable of trains between Westbury and Salisbury.

The long distance services between Cardiff Central and Portsmouth Harbour will continue to operate in both directions to provide an hourly train service. Other services are likely to be terminated short of their destination in order that they do not traverse the affected section; additional services will call at Dilton Marsh.

Please accept our apologies if your journey is impacted as a result.

During its application phase, Great Western Railway (GWR), which already runs Cardiff to Bristol trains, said a new line could have a "significant effect" on its revenue. But now the operator says it is looking forward to working with TfW to ensure services are provided in a coordinated way.

LLANGENNECH: Train firm blames a signaller for the diesel fire and wants £30m from Network Rail

Network Rail went to court in August wanting £5m from the firms it blames for the fire. One of them has answered with a far bigger bill of its own, and a claim about what should have happened that night.

The company that ran the fuel train that derailed and burned at Llangennech in 2020 says a signaller could have stopped it before it came off the rails. It is suing Network Rail for more than £30m

Spain's Transport Minister Óscar Puente has resigned - six days after the high-speed train collision in which at least 69 people were killed and dozens injured.

He announced his decision in Congress, where he had appeared to give the circumstances of last Wednesday's crash near the town of Urda, south of the capital Madrid.

"A transport minister in a country like Spain cannot remain in office after two accidents of this seriousness in less than a year," he said, also referring to a deadly crash in January in Andalusia, southern Spain

The latest tragedy in Urda happened when a state-operated Renfe high-speed train smashed into the back of another stationary train operated by the Iryo company.

continues...

From what I read in Wales Online they are approved now


What they failed to report was that approval was only given for 12 months running.....

I think that I saw one at Temple Meads this afternoon and on the Filton Diamond yesterday evening.

17:50 Gloucester to Salisbury due 20:06

Facilities on the 17:50 Gloucester to Salisbury due 20:06.
Toilet facilities are not available. Disabled toilet facilities are not available.

The West Somerset Railway is asking people to suggest a new tagline to emphasize it's coastal destinations.  Perhaps the collective creative genius that is the Coffee Shop could come up with a few to help them?
....

I couldn't decide if this merited a new topic, perhaps on the "lighter side", or if it should reside more happily here.  Admins, feel free to move this if appropriate.

Proposals for a free bus service in Guernsey will no longer be considered for next year's budget, deputies who suggested the move have said.

Deputies Sally Rochester and Ross Le Brun put the plan forward as an amendment to the 2027 budget, asking the Policy and Resources Committee for £1.9m to "enable the existing public transport service" to be made free of charge in a one-year pilot.

They have now pulled the plans after "concern from [operator] Stagecoach" that increased passenger numbers could mean certain routes not coping with the additional demand.

The West Somerset Railway is asking people to suggest a new tagline to emphasize it's coastal destinations.  Perhaps the collective creative genius that is the Coffee Shop could come up with a few to help them?

Here's the article where I read about it:

https://www.somersetcountygazette.co.uk/news/26691504.west-somerset-railway-seeks-become-key-coastal-attraction/

I couldn't decide if this merited a new topic, perhaps on the "lighter side", or if it should reside more happily here.  Admins, feel free to move this if appropriate.

Not train related but I did wonder if you tried to explain why you couldn't lift their luggage or just politely decline? I have what is an essentially a hidden disability which means I can't lift more than a couple of kilos although I actually look fit and healthy. I've got into argument with couriers who refuse to accept I'm not going to help them carry something as there's 'nothing wrong with you'. Conversely when I started to explain why I can't lift a 25kg bag of salt into the car it got a bit long winded. I've also been told off for 'making' my other half carry the shopping.