Driver didn’t know Flying Scotsman would crash – report

The 100-year-old steam locomotive crashed into a row of stationary Belmond’s Royal Scotsman passenger carriages on platform 3 of Aviemore station in the Highlands last September.

Both trains, which normally run on the main line, were instead on the Strathspey Railway as they were to be diverted to another station not accessible from the main line.

On Friday 29 September, at 6.05pm, the Flying Scotsman collided with the Royal Scotsman at 7mph, causing a passenger to briefly lose consciousness after colliding with another passenger’s head.

They were taken to hospital as a precautionary measure along with a Belmond employee, but both were discharged the same night.

Due to the accident, several coaches had to be taken out of service.

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) report, published on Thursday, said there was “uncertainty” about the allocation of duties in the driver’s cab of the Flying Scotsman at the time of the accident. No one had told the driver that the trains were about to collide. It also said obstructions, including a large sign near the station, may have obstructed his view.

However, the RAIB concluded that the accident ultimately occurred because the driver was “unaware” of how close the trains were to each other.

The report states: “The collision occurred because the driver did not realize the proximity of the locomotive to the wagons and therefore did not control his speed accordingly.

“This was because the driver’s view of the track ahead was limited and because immediately before the collision no one in the cab had warned the driver that the locomotive was approaching the wagons.

“The driver assumed, based on previous experience, that the cars would be further away from the approaching locomotive.

“The underlying factor identified was the ineffective management of the locomotive’s visit to the railway by the Strathspey Railway Company.”

The RAIB made a recommendation to the Strathspey Railway Company that it should review its special event operations and special train scheduling to ensure that it can manage all the risks associated with such events.

Two additional lessons were learned. The report states: “Firstly, it is important to remember the importance of train crews maintaining effective visual alert while on the move and knowing who is responsible for this vigilance.”

“Secondly, it is important to comply with regulations regarding the number of people in the cab of a locomotive and to ensure that roles are clearly defined during operation.”

The RAIB is a British government agency that independently investigates railway accidents across the country.

Its purpose is not to assign blame to any person or party, but rather to determine the cause of the accident in order to prevent similar incidents in the future.

The Strathspey Railway Company stated that it accepted the findings of the report and was already in the process of making the necessary changes outlined by the RAIB.

A spokesman said: “The Strathspey Railway has fully cooperated with the RAIB investigation and accepts the findings of the report.

“The findings of the report have already been taken into account and work is underway to implement the intent of one of the report’s recommendations.”