UK: The line between Aberdeen and Dundee will reopen on November 3, after the completion of work to repair the railway following the derailment at Carmont near Stonehaven on August 12.
Three people died in the derailment, and there was extensive damage to the track, bridge, embankments and drainage.
Work to remove the vehicles and reopen the line has included:
- building a 900 m road and temporary bridges over surrounding farmland to bring specialist lifting equipment to the site;
- using a 600 tonne crawler crane to lift the derailed vehicles;
- replacing over 500 m of damaged track, 70 m of bridge parapets and relaying 400 m of telecoms cables;
- repairing and enhancing drainage systems and flood defences above and below the line;
- rebuilding the embankment beneath the accident site.
‘We continue to work closely with accident investigators as we seek to learn the lessons of this tragedy and make our railway as safe as possible for our people and our passengers’, said Scotland’s Railway Managing Director Alex Hynes on October 30.
ScotRail has been operating shuttle services between Aberdeen and Stonehaven and between Montrose and Edinburgh while the line was closed. There have also been replacement bus services between Aberdeen and Edinburgh, connecting with services to England.
