A warning about a fallen tree on a railway line made 12 minutes before it was hit by a train at 84mph was not passed on to the driver, an investigation has found.
The driver’s cab of the ScotRail train was severely damaged by the crash in Broughty Ferry, Dundee, at 1.09pm on December 27 last year.
A report by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) said a member of the public rang a Network Rail helpline about the tree at 12.57pm.
The helpline is operated by Journeycall, which is contracted by Network Rail to handle public inquiries.
The call handler did not have access to a priority telephone number for the SICC.
Investigators noted that the telephone equipment used at the control centre did not display missed call information.
The RAIB said the driver of the train “only escaped serious injury” as they crouched behind their seat when they realised “the collision was inevitable” after making an emergency brake application.
The trunk of the tree entered the cab “around driver’s eye level” and stopped “just above the driver”, the report said.
An automated emergency alarm generated by the train’s equipment was received by a signaller in Dundee, and the railway lines were blocked.
The RAIB said there were no injuries to the 37 passengers or three staff members onboard.
Since this accident, Network Rail has provided helpline staff with an additional contact telephone number for emergencies.
Investigators made three recommendations, relating to Network Rail, Dundee City Council and the Rail Safety and Standards Board.
A Network Rail spokesperson said: “We will carefully review the RAIB’s comprehensive report into the incident at Broughty Ferry where a local authority tree was blown onto the railway.
“We have already made changes to the way reports from members of the public about safety concerns are managed within our control room and are constantly reviewing how we can improve safety.
“We are making increased use of our helicopter before and after storms to help us identify potential problems and we are also currently investing millions in the biggest de-vegetation programme ever undertaken on Scotland’s railway to reduce the risk of trees falling onto our infrastructure.”
