Network Rail Scotland told to make railway more resilient to extreme weather
The annual report from the office of Rail and Roads says the Carmount derailment that claimed 3 lives, almost a year ago, highlights the need for Scotland's railways to be prepared for climate change.
Last updated 13th Jul 2021
The train de-railment near Stonehaven last year is a 'stark reminder' of the need for infrastructure resilience to extreme weather on Scottish Railways, according to a new report.
The 2020-21 Office of Rail and Road's annual assesment of Network Rail Scotland's performance says the Carmount diaster: "tragically demonstrates the need for Network Rail to make sure that railway assets are resilient to the impacts of extreme weather and climate change."
While the report touches on many other areas of Scottish railways, it's main theme looks at the requirement of making the lines capable of dealing with adverse weather.
Heavy rain, with subsequent flooding, caused a landslip back on August 12th of last year. It was concluded the passenger service struck that landslip, causing it to come off the tracks.
Not far from the stretch where the train came off the line, later in the year, the line was forced to close again after earth on the edge of a bridge slipped away.
Liz McLeod, ORR’s Senior Regulation Manager for Network Rail Scotland said:
“This year, more than ever, has demonstrated the need for Network Rail Scotland to deliver on its commitments for a more resilient railway.
“In 2020-21, there have been some significant incidents following severe weather, most notably the derailment at Carmont which resulted in the deaths of the train’s driver, its conductor and one passenger, and injuries to six passengers. My thoughts remain with the families and friends of everyone affected. Our formal investigation, jointly with Police Scotland and the British Transport Police continues.
“Network Rail Scotland has demonstrated strong collaboration with industry partners and its funder, Transport Scotland, to identify improvements to sustain the high levels of performance experienced throughout the pandemic as lockdown restrictions ease. While train performance has been very good, there is a clear risk that performance will drop as passengers and services return. Network Rail needs to maintain cross-industry collaboration to retain performance improvements where possible.”
The COVID-19 pandemic has also had a significant impact on the performance of Network rail in Scotland over the year. While passenger train performance has improved significantly, reduced income and higher costs have impacted on the region’s funding.
The regulator found that passenger train service punctuality and reliability improved, largely due to fewer services and passengers, but punctuality of freight services declined. Severe weather had a significant impact on passenger and freight service performance. Delays caused by severe weather in Scotland rose by 26% in 2020-21 compared with the previous year.
Despite the challenges of operating during a pandemic, the regulator has seen evidence of Network Rail Scotland collaborating closely, both with the supply chain and trade unions, to identify safe ways of working in the delivery of upgrade and renewal work. Network Rail Scotland has also demonstrated a sustained commitment to deliver Scottish Ministers’ priorities, and has started delivering Transport Scotland’s Rail Services Decarbonisation Action Plan, published last July.
ORR’s report recognises good progress by Network Rail Scotland in improving track worker safety, and that it has managed the transmission risks of COVID-19 well. But there is more to do, with improvements needed to how Network Rail Scotland plans for closures of the railway for work to be carried out safely.
Network Rail Scotland’s financial performance was behind target largely due to the pandemic; the region’s income reduced while costs increased. For the second year in a row, the region exceeded its efficiency target - delivering £65.6m of efficiencies in 2020-21. However, ORR has concerns around how prepared Network Rail Scotland is to deliver future efficiencies. The regulator has stepped up its monitoring of the region, requiring it to provide more frequent reporting on how improvements are being implemented.
The regulator also found that while financial risk arrangements established by ORR for Network Rail are working well and have helped it manage the impact of the pandemic, risk funds are lower than expected at this point in the control period, particularly in Scotland. This is a concern given the high levels of uncertainty and the financial risks that Network Rail Scotland faces.
Matthew Spence, Director, Strategy & Investment, Network Rail for Scotland’s Railway, commented:
“This is welcome feedback from the rail regulator after a challenging year for Network Rail in Scotland as we kept passengers and freight moving throughout the pandemic. We are proud our improved service punctuality and track reliability are acknowledged, given our teams have worked hard in exceptionally tough circumstances to deliver these results.
“ORR recognition for Network Rail’s improved track worker safety, collaboration with key stakeholders and commitment to delivering on the Scottish Government’s performance and decarbonisation goals is also encouraging.
“On asset resilience after the Carmont tragedy, we invited two world-leading experts to independently review our approach and help us better manage our assets and mitigate the impact of climate change and extreme weather on our railways. While we are making progress, we know we need to go further and quicker to improve safety on our network, for both our staff and our passengers, and that is what we are doing.”