Fatal Stonehaven train derailment could have been avoided if drain built correctly, says sheriff

She noted that, since the accident, Network Rail now made far greater use of aerial surveys carried out primarily by helicopter, but also by drones, to inspect the rail system.She said: "There has been a significant cultural shift within Network Rail since this derailment in its understanding the impact of weather and in particular, viewing rainfall as a hazard to railway operations."Sheriff Johnston did not make any recommendations in her 199-page determination. She concluded that the RAIB had already carried out a thorough investigation, where recommendations were made to the railway industry.The sheriff said those 20 recommendations were "comprehensive and wide-ranging", addressing all the ways in which railway safety could be improved in response to what happened. Most of those recommendations have been implemented, with those remaining being progressed."The changes and improvements outlined have satisfied me that the issues identified in both the RAIB's report and in this inquiry either have been or are being addressed by the rail industry," she said."I do not consider there are any other reasonable precautions, improvements or other steps that could be taken which might realistically prevent other deaths in similar circumstances."The sheriff ended by saying that she wanted to join all the participants in the inquiry in expressing her "sincere condolences" to the families and friends of the men who died for their "tragic and untimely loss".Liam Sumpter, Network Rail Scotland managing director, said: "The tragedy at Carmont was a terrible day for our railway and our thoughts remain with the families and loved ones of Brett McCullough, Donald Dinnie, and Christopher Stuchbury, along with all those affected by the derailment."Since August 2020, we have been working hard to make our railway safer for our passengers and colleagues, to deliver on the RAIB recommendations and to fully support the FAI process to reach its conclusion."We have made significant changes to how we manage the risk of severe weather since the accident and to increase the resilience of Scotland's railway."Laura Buchan, legal director with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), said the inquiry had provided a detailed public examination and that measures had addressed the identified safety issues.The train drivers' union Aslef said there had been a "staggering level of governance and corporate failure" and reiterated concerns about the crashworthiness of high-speed trains.It called for these trains to be removed from the fleet, a move also backed by the RMT union.West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine MP Andrew Bowie, who visited the crash site in 2020, said a sense of loss and grief had been "keenly felt" in the community.Speaking about the victims' families, he said: "Above all, I hope they can take some comfort from knowing that lessons have been learned and that their loved ones will not be forgotten."