Faulty drainage caused the derailment at Carmont. This is the scene at the site of the derailment. RAIB
Missing records hindered identification of unauthorised alterations
An unauthorised and unknown installation of a bund of earth and consequent washing out of gravel from a drainage system on to the track was the root cause of the derailment of a ScotRail High Speed Train at Carmont, which killed three and injured six more on 12 August 2020.
The findings are in the Rail Accident Investigation Branch’s final report on the accident, published on 10 March. It made 20 recommendations to improve safety on the railway.
A new drainage system installed in 2011-12 by Carillion was part of a scheme designed to mitigate the risk of earthworks failure in the area, using ‘French’ drains, where water enters a perforated pipe in the bottom of a trench through a gravel layer above.
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