A raft of improvements have been recommended for Scotland's railways in the wake of the Stonehaven disaster that claimed three lives.
Network Rail bosses have made more than 50 recommendations in detailed reports drawn up by specialists Lord Robert Mair and Dame Julia Slingo.
The body commissioned the reports after the locomotive tragedy last August and looked into the impact of 'extreme weather'.
Of the nine people onboard the train travelling from Aberdeen to Glasgow three, Driver Brett McCullough, 45, conductor Donald Dinnie, 58, and passenger Chris Stuchbury, 62, were killed.
Six others were injured after the train hit a landslip caused by heavy rainfalls amid chaotic weather that day.
Network Rail looked at how to prevent similar tragedies in the future- especially with global warming increasing the chances of freak weather.
Presenting the findings, Network Rail wrote: "Network Rail pledged to learn lessons from the tragedy and tasked world-renowned experts Lord Robert Mair and Dame Julia Slingo to provide engineering and scientific oversight and recommendations to help tackle the challenge of managing rail infrastructure in the face of more frequent bouts of extreme weather.
"Transport Secretary Grant Shapps also called for a network-wide review of the impact of climate change on the resilience and safe performance of the railway, and in particular how earthworks – the slopes alongside the tracks – are managed.
"An initial report was provided in the weeks following the accident and an update has been delivered today, along with the two taskforce reviews.
"The reports show that the challenge of climate change on the railway is substantial. Most earthworks alongside the tracks were built around 150 years ago and poorly engineered by modern standards, overly-steep and unstable, and with drainage of a similar age and installed to a pre-set design, regardless of location.
"When combined with heavier rainfall, as has been experienced in recent years, landslips and flooding can occur."
Network Rail has already started implementing some of the recommendations which include detailed analysis of slopes, using 'state of the art' weather forecasting and a wider use of helicopters and drones for inspections.
Network Rail added: "Many of the recommendations focus on the considerable progress that has been made with technology over recent years, bringing Network Rail up to speed.
"Some technology has been trialled – including a system to provide detailed information on where intense, short-term rain is falling, and monitoring sensors that can be adopted on potentially critical slopes to provide early detection of failure – but the reports are clear that advancements happen quickly and more can be done to keep on top of latest developments.
:Crucially, both reports recommend looking at culture and organisational change, upskilling the workforce to better access, interpret and use weather data and technology, to carry out inspections and examinations of earthworks and drainage, and to improve knowledge and competencies consistently across the organisation."
Martin Frobisher, Network Rail’s safety and engineering director, said: “The UK’s railway is one of the safest in Europe, but something went tragically wrong at Stonehaven last summer and our thoughts remain with the families and friends of Brett McCullough, Donald Dinnie and Christopher Stuchbury.
“Heavy rain caused ground slips on many occasions across the entire network last year and although tragic accidents are thankfully incredibly rare and none other than Stonehaven caused injuries, it is clear that extreme weather presents a significant challenge to the way we safely and reliably manage railway infrastructure.
“We do a vast amount to tackle the effects of climate change already but there is more to do. We established two independent, expert taskforces led by world-class specialists to investigate the problems we face and, crucially, to guide us as we make substantial improvements.
“We will carefully consider every single recommendation and develop a science-backed improvement plan, to target available money and technology in the best possible way. This is a real breakthrough.”
Heartfelt tributes were paid to the three men following the tragedy.
Further reviews are still to come with the independent Rail Accident Investigations Branch to publish its probe this year.
