{"id":454321,"date":"2022-03-10T12:01:33","date_gmt":"2022-03-10T12:01:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.constructionnews.co.uk\/?p=454321"},"modified":"2022-03-10T12:01:33","modified_gmt":"2022-03-10T12:01:33","slug":"carillion-failings-led-to-fatal-stonehaven-derailment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.constructionnews.co.uk\/contractors\/carillion\/carillion-failings-led-to-fatal-stonehaven-derailment-10-03-2022\/","title":{"rendered":"Carillion failings led to fatal Stonehaven derailment"},"content":{"rendered":"

Defective construction work by the now-defunct contractor Carillion led to a 2020 train accident in Scotland in which three people were killed<\/a>, according to a report.<\/p>\n

The contractor failed to recognise and flag up serious faults while it was working by the Stonehaven rail line in 2011, according to a report by the UK Government\u2019s Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB). This directly resulted in the fatal derailment, according to the RAIB’s final report on the tragedy.<\/p>\n

A train travelling along the line in August 2020 derailed after it collided with a landslip that had spilled onto the track following a period of intense rain. The driver, conductor and one passenger died in the crash.<\/p>\n

According to the RAIB report, the drainage system installed by Carillion did not match the designs and led to the landslip.<\/p>\n

Network Rail had employed Carillion to construct a drainage system by the railway, and the contractor then subcontracted Arup to work as its design subcontractor.<\/p>\n

The report into the accident found Carillion did not meet the designer\u2019s requirements while constructing the drain, creating a low earth bund leading towards the track.<\/p>\n

The bund diverted lots of water into a gully so that it reached the drain at the same time, increasing the chance of the water washing out the gravel infill, which caused the tragedy.<\/p>\n

\u201cHad the drainage system been installed in accordance with the design, it is highly likely to have safely accommodated the flow of surface water on 12 August 2020,\u201d the report concludes.<\/p>\n

The changes to the design should have been referred to Arup per the contractual agreement. \u201cHowever, its records, supplemented by witness evidence, indicate that no such reference was made,\u201d the report states.<\/p>\n

There was also no evidence that Carillion had alerted Network Rail to the change in design. The client’s project team was therefore “probably unaware” that the drain did not match the design suggested. But if they had known, the RAIB concluded, “it is possible that the consequent risk would have been recognised and remedial actions taken”.<\/p>\n

The contract relied on Carillion to notify Arup of the proposed changes before they moved forward with them.<\/p>\n

The RAIB also found that Carillion and Network Rail failed to react to photos, taken by the local landlord, which showed slight erosion to the gravel surface of the drain after heavy rainfall in 2012.<\/p>\n

Although these photos were passed to both Carillion and Network Rail, \u201cno evidence has been found relating to receipt of the image or action being taken in response to it\u201d, the report says.<\/p>\n

The erosion would \u201clikely\u201d have been visible when Carillion and Network Rail inspected the site in March 2013. Although this erosion would not necessarily have been viewed as a precursor to the washout that took place, the report said it was \u201cclear evidence\u201d of an issue that needed repairing, monitoring and reporting to the design.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis was a missed opportunity to recognise the effect of the bund on water flows,\u201d the report adds.<\/p>\n

Network Rail was also criticised for failing to record details of the construction work, which would have triggered routine checks and maintenance.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis did not happen due to non-\u200aimplementation of Network Rail\u2019s procedures for introducing new assets onto infrastructure,\u201d the report adds.<\/p>\n

The RAIB made 20 safety recommendations following the accident, the first being to carry out construction work as per the design.<\/p>\n

The body also recommended that Network Rail ensure that it logs information on maintenance work following the completion of work.<\/p>\n

Carillion collapsed into administration in January 2018<\/a>. The report into the Stonehaven accident said that the company’s liquidator had provided paper and electronic records concerning the accident to the RAIB.<\/p>\n

But it adds: \u201cThe absence of an ongoing corporate structure means that staff who would normally assist evidence recovery were no longer available and this has possibly affected recovery of some evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Defective construction work by the now-defunct contractor Carillion led to a 2020 train accident in Scotland in which three people were killed, according to a report. The contractor failed to recognise and flag up serious faults while it was working by the Stonehaven rail line in 2011, according to a report by the UK Government\u2019s …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":90643,"featured_media":280773,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ep_exclude_from_search":false},"categories":[531,549],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n