Overview

The Stonehaven derailment was a major railway accident that occurred at about 09:40 BST on 12 August 2020. The train left the track near Carmont, a location west of Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. An InterCity 125 high-speed passenger service was involved. The incident resulted in multiple fatalities and injuries and led to an immediate suspension of services on that route.

The collision and derailment claimed the lives of three people and injured several others. It was the first fatal train derailment in the United Kingdom since 2007 and represented the most serious accident involving an InterCity 125 set in many years. The scale of the event focused national attention on railway safety and the condition of infrastructure after severe weather.

Cause and conditions

Investigations found that the immediate cause was a sudden landslide (also described as a landslip) that deposited earth and debris onto the railway line. Heavy rainfall in the area prior to the accident destabilised the slope above the track. When the train reached the affected section, it struck the obstruction and derailed. No single engineering failure can be recounted here; formal inquiries considered a range of contributing factors.

Response and investigation

Emergency services, railway staff and local communities responded to rescue and recover passengers. The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) and other authorities launched inquiries to establish the sequence of events and identify lessons for future prevention. The work aimed to avoid assigning blame prematurely while gathering evidence from the site, signal and track records, and weather data.

Safety issues and follow-up

  • Slope and embankment drainage and maintenance practices.
  • Monitoring and early-warning systems for track obstructions after extreme weather.
  • Operational procedures for running services during heavy rain or flood alerts.
  • Design resilience of trackside structures against changing climate patterns.

The Stonehaven derailment highlighted the vulnerability of rail infrastructure to sudden environmental events and prompted reviews of inspection regimes, signage, and emergency preparedness across the network. Its findings and recommendations were intended to reduce the risk of similar accidents and to improve the resilience of rail routes to adverse weather in future years.

Further information and official reports can be found via relevant transport safety authorities and local transport operators.

More on the accident · Location: Carmont · Aberdeenshire context · Scotland transport · UK rail safety · InterCity 125 trains · Landslide hazards