Falls of Cruachan derailment
Encyclopedia
The Falls of Cruachan derailment occurred on 6 June 2010 on the West Highland Line
in Scotland
, when a passenger train travelling between Glasgow
and Oban
hit boulder
s on the line and derailed near Falls of Cruachan railway station
, after a landslide
. The two-car diesel multiple unit caught fire and one carriage was left in a precarious position on the 50 feet (15.2 m) high embankment. Sixty passengers were evacuated, some with minor injures; eight of those were hospitalised as a precaution. In addition to blocking the line, the incident also caused the closure of the A85 road
below the rail line. Both road and rail were closed for a week.
, running west to a terminus at Oban station on the coast.
. The unit involved was Class 156
diesel multiple unit
156 499. It was initially thought that two carriages had been left hanging over the 50 feet (15.2 m) embankment, although only one carriage was left in this position. The leading bogie of the second carriage was also derailed. The train caught fire during the incident, possibly because of leaking diesel fuel, but the fire was quickly put out using extinguishers.
at 20:53 BST.
Firefighters from the Strathclyde Fire and Rescue Service launched a major incident response. Two appliances from Oban, plus one each from Arrochar
, Dalmally
and Inveraray
were despatched to the scene. A Major Incident Unit (MIU) from Clydebank
and a Heavy Rescue Vehicle (HRV) from Easterhouse
also attended the scene of the accident. Two air ambulances and a Royal Navy
Sea King
helicopter also attended the scene due to the remote location.
British Transport Police
reported that all the passengers and crew had been evacuated from the train to the nearby Cruachan power station, helped to safety by the train crew. The Ambulance Service treated most of the injured passengers at the scene, at a triage
facility set up at the power station. Nobody was found to be seriously hurt, although eight people were taken to hospitals in Oban, Lochgilphead
and Glasgow as a precaution, with the most serious cases described as minor spinal injuries.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency
despatched two officers to the accident site to give advice on anti-pollution measures. Oil retention equipment was employed on Loch Awe
and streams around the accident site to deal with any spilt diesel fuel from the carriages, which can carry 1600 litres (352 imp gal) each. The MIU and HRV were stood down at 00:30 on 7 June, with other firefighters remaining on standby due to diesel leaking from a ruptured fuel tank on one of the carriages. All fire crews except for one rescue pump were stood down at 04:08, and control of the site was handed over to Network Rail
engineers.
was closed between the junctions with the A819 and the A828
, with a limited replacement bus service implemented for rail travellers. ScotRail warned passengers that no guarantee could be given in regard to connections with ferry services at Oban. On 8 June 2010, it reported that removing the train would take "days" leaving the A85 closed, and no firm date was set for the reopening of the line. The nightly closures for roadworks of the A83 road
were suspended to ease the effects of the A85 diversion. The A85 reopened at 20:30 on 13 June, the West Highland Line reopening at 06:00 on 14 June 2010.
reissued a demand that ScotRail scrap plans for the introduction of driver-only operated trains on the Airdrie-Bathgate Rail Link
when it opens.
On 9 June, it was reported that a 1,000-tonne
crane would be brought in by road from Carlisle
to remove the derailed carriages on 10 June. The A85 at Falls of Cruachan was in effect on a bridge along the shore of Loch Awe and the engineers were looking at a number of methods to alleviate the problems with using such a large vehicle on the road. The carriage left overhanging the embankment was to be recovered by road, whilst the other was to be recovered by rail. A road crane had to be used as there was insufficient room available to use a rail-mounted crane. An option to use a helicopter
to remove the carriages was ruled out due to the weight of the carriages at 35 tonnes each. If the crane was unable to recover the carriages, it was planned to winch them back onto the track and recover them by rail. The operation to recover the carriages was estimated to cost £
100,000. On 11 June the crane removed the carriage that had fallen down the embankment.
. The majority of incidents occur in summer and autumn, usually originated by sheep scrabbling on the slopes setting small stones rolling which then disturb larger ones. At least two derailments due to rockfalls had occurred previously in the area prior to the 2010 incident.
Along with other methods of rockfall risk reduction in the area, in the particular stretch of line from to Falls of Cruachan to , Network Rail
also maintains the Pass of Brander stone signals
. This is a purely mechanical warning system, independent of the electronic signalling system
used on the line. It sets one of a series of seventeen semaphore signals
to danger should rocks from the slopes of Ben Cruachan
break a screen of up to 14 thin wires horizontally strung 9 to 10 in (22.9 to 25.4 cm) apart. The signals are spaced about ¼ mile (400 m) apart over a 4 miles (6.4 km) length of line.
Network Rail confirmed on 8 June however that the Pass of Brander signals would not have prevented the 2010 derailment, as the rocks fell from a position about 20 feet (6.1 m) below the wire screen, falling for about 50 feet (15.24 m) before landing on the track, a distance which was not considered to represent a sufficient landslide risk to be covered by the wires. When the system was originally installed, any unsafe boulders below the screen were wired back to the screen.
The Pass of Brander system covers the stretch of line from the 51 mile 60 chains point to the 56 mile 00 chain point, as measured from Callander. It was first installed in 1882 by the Callander and Oban Railway
, following a derailment caused by falling rocks when a moving boulder actually struck a train, on 17 August 1881, a year after the line opened. It was then extended in stages up to 1913. A second derailment occurred on 8 August 1946, leaving the train perched on the edge of a 100 feet (30.5 m) drop. It happened to the 06:05 Oban to Glasgow train; the first the driver saw was the boulder falling onto the track, and was unable to stop the train in time. A third derailment occurred on 5 April 1997 at almost exactly the same site as the 2010 derailment. The guard on the train in 1997 was Angus McColl, who was also the guard in 2010. In the 1997 accident, the train remained upright and there were no reported injuries amongst the 40 passengers on board. On 11 October 2005, the locomotive of a freight train struck a boulder on the line between and , on the West Highland Line. The locomotive was not derailed but suffered damage sufficient to put it out of action. The stretch of line where the accident occurred was not protected by trip wires activating signals.
On 11 June, Bob Crow
, General Secretary of the RMT
union, wrote to Network Rail criticising them for not implementing safety recommendations after a total of five previous derailments at Falls of Cruachan. Following the 1997 derailment, it was recommended that the embankment be stabilised above the line. Crow claimed that this work had not been carried out. Network Rail responded to Crow's allegation by stating that the cause of the accident was still under investigation by RAIB, and that it was their job to determine the cause, not the RMT's. Following the accident, vegetation clearance was undertaken and a number of rocks removed from the slopes above the railway as it was deemed that there was a risk of them falling onto the railway below.
An investigation was opened into the accident by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch
with ScotRail assisting. Network Rail also assisted in the investigation.
The report of the investigation into the accident was published in July 2011. The investigation found that the boulder had been dislodged due to a combination of being lifted by tree roots and soil erosion. The inadequacy of the system of inspection of the area was cited as a possible causal factor. Five recommendations were made with respect to the management of vegetation and identification of the risk of rockfalls, with a sixth recommendation in respect of the security of lighting diffusers in the event of accidents.
West Highland Line
The West Highland Line is considered the most scenic railway line in Britain, linking the ports of Mallaig and Oban on the west coast of Scotland to Glasgow. The line was voted the top rail journey in the world by readers of independent travel magazine Wanderlust in 2009, ahead of the iconic...
in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, when a passenger train travelling between Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
and Oban
Oban
Oban Oban Oban ( is a resort town within the Argyll and Bute council area of Scotland. It has a total resident population of 8,120. Despite its small size, it is the largest town between Helensburgh and Fort William and during the tourist season the town can be crowded by up to 25,000 people. Oban...
hit boulder
Boulder
In geology, a boulder is a rock with grain size of usually no less than 256 mm diameter. While a boulder may be small enough to move or roll manually, others are extremely massive....
s on the line and derailed near Falls of Cruachan railway station
Falls of Cruachan railway station
Falls of Cruachan railway station is a railway station located at the foot of Ben Cruachan in Scotland. This station is on the Oban branch of the West Highland Line, originally part of the Callander and Oban Railway.- Services :...
, after a landslide
Landslide
A landslide or landslip is a geological phenomenon which includes a wide range of ground movement, such as rockfalls, deep failure of slopes and shallow debris flows, which can occur in offshore, coastal and onshore environments...
. The two-car diesel multiple unit caught fire and one carriage was left in a precarious position on the 50 feet (15.2 m) high embankment. Sixty passengers were evacuated, some with minor injures; eight of those were hospitalised as a precaution. In addition to blocking the line, the incident also caused the closure of the A85 road
A85 road
The A85 is a major road in Scotland. It runs east from Oban along the south bank of Loch Etive, through Lochawe and Tyndrum, Crianlarich, Lochearnhead, St Fillans and Crieff before passing through Perth, where it crosses the River Tay via Perth Bridge. Its name between the latter two locations is...
below the rail line. Both road and rail were closed for a week.
Location
The derailment occurred near station, on the branch of the West Highland Line which departs from the main route at Crianlarich stationCrianlarich railway station
Crianlarich railway station is a railway station serving the village of Crianlarich in Scotland. It is located on the West Highland Line. The routes to Fort William/Mallaig and Oban diverge after this station...
, running west to a terminus at Oban station on the coast.
Accident
The accident occurred on the 18:20 passenger train from station to Oban which derailed shortly before 21:00 BST (UTC+1)UTC+1
UTC+01:00 is an identifier for a time offset from UTC of +01:00. In ISO 8601 the associated time would be written as .This time is used in:*Central European Time*West Africa Time*Western European Summer Time**British Summer Time**Irish Standard Time...
. The unit involved was Class 156
British Rail Class 156
The British Rail Class 156 Super Sprinter is a diesel multiple-unit train . 114 of these units were built from 1987 to 1989 by Metro-Cammell at its Washwood Heath Works in Birmingham...
diesel multiple unit
Diesel multiple unit
A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board diesel engines. They may also be referred to as a railcar or railmotor, depending on country.-Design:...
156 499. It was initially thought that two carriages had been left hanging over the 50 feet (15.2 m) embankment, although only one carriage was left in this position. The leading bogie of the second carriage was also derailed. The train caught fire during the incident, possibly because of leaking diesel fuel, but the fire was quickly put out using extinguishers.
Rescue efforts
The train was carrying 60 passengers and three crew. Emergency services were alerted by a passenger on the train who dialed 999999 (emergency telephone number)
999 is an official emergency telephone number in a number of countries which allows the caller to contact emergency services for urgent assistance....
at 20:53 BST.
Firefighters from the Strathclyde Fire and Rescue Service launched a major incident response. Two appliances from Oban, plus one each from Arrochar
Arrochar
Arrochar can refer to:* Arrochar, Argyll and Bute, Scotland** Arrochar and Tarbet railway station** Arrochar Alps, Argyll and Bute, a group of small mountains* Arrochar, Staten Island, New York** Arrochar...
, Dalmally
Dalmally
Dalmally is a village in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It is located near the A85 road and is served by Dalmally railway station....
and Inveraray
Inveraray
Inveraray is a royal burgh in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It is on the western shore of Loch Fyne, near its head, and on the A83 road. It is the traditional county town of Argyll and ancestral home to the Duke of Argyll.-Coat of arms:...
were despatched to the scene. A Major Incident Unit (MIU) from Clydebank
Clydebank
Clydebank is a town in West Dunbartonshire, in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. Situated on the north bank of the River Clyde, Clydebank borders Dumbarton, the town with which it was combined to form West Dunbartonshire, as well as the town of Milngavie in East Dunbartonshire, and the Yoker and...
and a Heavy Rescue Vehicle (HRV) from Easterhouse
Easterhouse
Easterhouse is a suburb about east of Glasgow city centre, Scotland. It was partially built on land gained from the county of Lanarkshire as part of a boundary expansion of Glasgow before the Second World War. Building began in the mid-1950s by the then local authority, Glasgow Corporation...
also attended the scene of the accident. Two air ambulances and a Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
Sea King
Westland Sea King
The Westland WS-61 Sea King is a British licence-built version of the American Sikorsky S-61 helicopter of the same name, built by Westland Helicopters. The aircraft differs considerably from the American version, with Rolls-Royce Gnome engines , British made anti-submarine warfare systems and a...
helicopter also attended the scene due to the remote location.
British Transport Police
British Transport Police
The British Transport Police is a special police force that polices those railways and light-rail systems in Great Britain for which it has entered into an agreement to provide such services...
reported that all the passengers and crew had been evacuated from the train to the nearby Cruachan power station, helped to safety by the train crew. The Ambulance Service treated most of the injured passengers at the scene, at a triage
Triage
Triage or ) is the process of determining the priority of patients' treatments based on the severity of their condition. This rations patient treatment efficiently when resources are insufficient for all to be treated immediately. The term comes from the French verb trier, meaning to separate,...
facility set up at the power station. Nobody was found to be seriously hurt, although eight people were taken to hospitals in Oban, Lochgilphead
Lochgilphead
Lochgilphead is a town and former burgh in Scotland, with a population of around 3,000 people. It is the administrative centre of Argyll and Bute. The town lies at the end of Loch Gilp and lies on the banks of the Crinan Canal....
and Glasgow as a precaution, with the most serious cases described as minor spinal injuries.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency
Scottish Environment Protection Agency
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency is Scotland’s environmental regulator. Its main role is to protect and improve Scotland's environment...
despatched two officers to the accident site to give advice on anti-pollution measures. Oil retention equipment was employed on Loch Awe
Loch Awe
Loch Awe is a large body of water in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It has also given its name to a village on its banks, variously known as Loch Awe, or Lochawe. There are islands within the loch such as Innis Chonnell and Inishail.- The loch :It is the third largest freshwater loch in Scotland with...
and streams around the accident site to deal with any spilt diesel fuel from the carriages, which can carry 1600 litres (352 imp gal) each. The MIU and HRV were stood down at 00:30 on 7 June, with other firefighters remaining on standby due to diesel leaking from a ruptured fuel tank on one of the carriages. All fire crews except for one rescue pump were stood down at 04:08, and control of the site was handed over to Network Rail
Network Rail
Network Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
engineers.
Travel effects
As a result of the derailment, the A85A85 road
The A85 is a major road in Scotland. It runs east from Oban along the south bank of Loch Etive, through Lochawe and Tyndrum, Crianlarich, Lochearnhead, St Fillans and Crieff before passing through Perth, where it crosses the River Tay via Perth Bridge. Its name between the latter two locations is...
was closed between the junctions with the A819 and the A828
A828 road
The A828 road is a primary route along the western coast of ScotlandAt its northern end the A828 meets the A82 at South Ballachulish and it runs to a junction with the A85 at Connel; the total length being some . It passes through Highland and Argyll and Bute council areas...
, with a limited replacement bus service implemented for rail travellers. ScotRail warned passengers that no guarantee could be given in regard to connections with ferry services at Oban. On 8 June 2010, it reported that removing the train would take "days" leaving the A85 closed, and no firm date was set for the reopening of the line. The nightly closures for roadworks of the A83 road
A83 road
The A83 is a major road in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, running from Tarbet, on the western shore of Loch Lomond, where it splits from the A82, to Campbeltown at the southern end of the Kintyre peninsula.-Route:...
were suspended to ease the effects of the A85 diversion. The A85 reopened at 20:30 on 13 June, the West Highland Line reopening at 06:00 on 14 June 2010.
Recovery of the train
On 8 June, Network Rail stated that they planned to have a crane on site to remove the two carriages by 11 June, after which track repairs would take place before the line could be opened to traffic. It was forecast that the line would be reopened in the week commencing 14 June. One of the problems with the recovery is that the A85 may have to be strengthened in order to bring in a crane to recover the carriages. The RMT UnionNational Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers
The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers is a trade union in the United Kingdom which unionises transport workers. It has more than 80,000 members, and its current general secretary is Bob Crow...
reissued a demand that ScotRail scrap plans for the introduction of driver-only operated trains on the Airdrie-Bathgate Rail Link
Airdrie-Bathgate Rail Link
The Airdrie-Bathgate Rail Link is a railway in central Scotland.Instigated as part of a round of transport improvement projects proposed by the then Scottish Executive in 2003, the plan was to open up a fourth direct railway link between the cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh. The project was...
when it opens.
On 9 June, it was reported that a 1,000-tonne
Tonne
The tonne, known as the metric ton in the US , often put pleonastically as "metric tonne" to avoid confusion with ton, is a metric system unit of mass equal to 1000 kilograms. The tonne is not an International System of Units unit, but is accepted for use with the SI...
crane would be brought in by road from Carlisle
City of Carlisle
The City of Carlisle is a local government district of Cumbria, England, with the status of a city and non-metropolitan district. It is named after its largest settlement, Carlisle, but covers a far larger area which includes the towns of Brampton and Longtown, as well as outlying villages...
to remove the derailed carriages on 10 June. The A85 at Falls of Cruachan was in effect on a bridge along the shore of Loch Awe and the engineers were looking at a number of methods to alleviate the problems with using such a large vehicle on the road. The carriage left overhanging the embankment was to be recovered by road, whilst the other was to be recovered by rail. A road crane had to be used as there was insufficient room available to use a rail-mounted crane. An option to use a helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
to remove the carriages was ruled out due to the weight of the carriages at 35 tonnes each. If the crane was unable to recover the carriages, it was planned to winch them back onto the track and recover them by rail. The operation to recover the carriages was estimated to cost £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
100,000. On 11 June the crane removed the carriage that had fallen down the embankment.
Rockfall risk
The stretch of line where the accident occurred is prone to rockfalls from the slopes of Ben CruachanBen Cruachan
Ben Cruachan is a 1126 m mountain that is the highest point in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It gives its name to the Cruachan Dam, a pumped-storage hydroelectric power station located in a cavern inside the mountain, as well as providing the slogan for Clan Campbell.It is the high point of a...
. The majority of incidents occur in summer and autumn, usually originated by sheep scrabbling on the slopes setting small stones rolling which then disturb larger ones. At least two derailments due to rockfalls had occurred previously in the area prior to the 2010 incident.
Along with other methods of rockfall risk reduction in the area, in the particular stretch of line from to Falls of Cruachan to , Network Rail
Network Rail
Network Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
also maintains the Pass of Brander stone signals
Pass of Brander stone signals
The Pass of Brander stone signals are a series of railway signals situated in the Pass of Brander, between and stations on the Oban branch of the West Highland Line in Scotland. They are part of a warning system that advises train drivers to exercise caution in the event of a rock-fall.The...
. This is a purely mechanical warning system, independent of the electronic signalling system
Radio Electronic Token Block
Radio Electronic Token Block is a system of railway signalling used in the United Kingdom. It is a development of the physical token system for controlling traffic on single lines.- How it works :...
used on the line. It sets one of a series of seventeen semaphore signals
Railway semaphore signal
One of the earliest forms of fixed railway signal is the semaphore. These signals display their different indications to train drivers by changing the angle of inclination of a pivoted 'arm'. Semaphore signals were patented in the early 1840s by Joseph James Stevens, and soon became the most...
to danger should rocks from the slopes of Ben Cruachan
Ben Cruachan
Ben Cruachan is a 1126 m mountain that is the highest point in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It gives its name to the Cruachan Dam, a pumped-storage hydroelectric power station located in a cavern inside the mountain, as well as providing the slogan for Clan Campbell.It is the high point of a...
break a screen of up to 14 thin wires horizontally strung 9 to 10 in (22.9 to 25.4 cm) apart. The signals are spaced about ¼ mile (400 m) apart over a 4 miles (6.4 km) length of line.
Network Rail confirmed on 8 June however that the Pass of Brander signals would not have prevented the 2010 derailment, as the rocks fell from a position about 20 feet (6.1 m) below the wire screen, falling for about 50 feet (15.24 m) before landing on the track, a distance which was not considered to represent a sufficient landslide risk to be covered by the wires. When the system was originally installed, any unsafe boulders below the screen were wired back to the screen.
The Pass of Brander system covers the stretch of line from the 51 mile 60 chains point to the 56 mile 00 chain point, as measured from Callander. It was first installed in 1882 by the Callander and Oban Railway
Callander and Oban Railway
The Callander and Oban Railway company was formed in 1864 with the objective of linking Callander, Scotland to the west coast port of Oban over challenging terrain, particularly at Glen Ogle and the Pass of Brander at Loch Awe. Callander had been reached in 1858 by the Dunblane, Doune and Callander...
, following a derailment caused by falling rocks when a moving boulder actually struck a train, on 17 August 1881, a year after the line opened. It was then extended in stages up to 1913. A second derailment occurred on 8 August 1946, leaving the train perched on the edge of a 100 feet (30.5 m) drop. It happened to the 06:05 Oban to Glasgow train; the first the driver saw was the boulder falling onto the track, and was unable to stop the train in time. A third derailment occurred on 5 April 1997 at almost exactly the same site as the 2010 derailment. The guard on the train in 1997 was Angus McColl, who was also the guard in 2010. In the 1997 accident, the train remained upright and there were no reported injuries amongst the 40 passengers on board. On 11 October 2005, the locomotive of a freight train struck a boulder on the line between and , on the West Highland Line. The locomotive was not derailed but suffered damage sufficient to put it out of action. The stretch of line where the accident occurred was not protected by trip wires activating signals.
On 11 June, Bob Crow
Bob Crow
Robert Crow , who is better known as Bob Crow, is a British trade union leader, the General Secretary of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers and a member of the General Council of the TUC...
, General Secretary of the RMT
National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers
The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers is a trade union in the United Kingdom which unionises transport workers. It has more than 80,000 members, and its current general secretary is Bob Crow...
union, wrote to Network Rail criticising them for not implementing safety recommendations after a total of five previous derailments at Falls of Cruachan. Following the 1997 derailment, it was recommended that the embankment be stabilised above the line. Crow claimed that this work had not been carried out. Network Rail responded to Crow's allegation by stating that the cause of the accident was still under investigation by RAIB, and that it was their job to determine the cause, not the RMT's. Following the accident, vegetation clearance was undertaken and a number of rocks removed from the slopes above the railway as it was deemed that there was a risk of them falling onto the railway below.
Investigation
According to the British Transport Police the immediate cause of the derailment was thought to be that the train struck boulders which were obstructing the line. Additionally, the driver had also reported that his train had collided with two boulders that were on the line.An investigation was opened into the accident by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch
Rail Accident Investigation Branch
The Rail Accident Investigation Branch is a government agency that became operational on 17 October 2005. Its primary role is the investigation of rail accidents in the United Kingdom and the Channel Tunnel in order to find a cause, not to lay blame. The agency has operational centres in The...
with ScotRail assisting. Network Rail also assisted in the investigation.
The report of the investigation into the accident was published in July 2011. The investigation found that the boulder had been dislodged due to a combination of being lifted by tree roots and soil erosion. The inadequacy of the system of inspection of the area was cited as a possible causal factor. Five recommendations were made with respect to the management of vegetation and identification of the risk of rockfalls, with a sixth recommendation in respect of the security of lighting diffusers in the event of accidents.