Remembering the Motherwell Train Station derailment of 1986

For scots on the central belt, trains have been part of their daily commute for generations - particularly those who worked in Glasgow or Edinburgh.

It was a normal summers day like any other, when in the sunny late afternoon Motherwell commuters waited lazily by the platform. They were ripped from this daze by the thundering sound of screeching brakes coming from further down the line.

At 10 past four, an intercity passenger train comprised of 10 carriages was heading towards Motherwell at a speed of 75mph. It was passing through Lesmahagow junction, around 200m north of Motherwell Station, when the fourth carriage bounced off the tracks and became derailed.

It was an incredibly precarious situation, the train was near full, while dozens of commuters waited at the station.

Desperately trying to stop while the last six carriages skidded along the tracks, the driver ran through Motherwell Station with the front four carriages derailed to the right hand side, while the final six carriages had become derailed between Platform 1 and 2 of the station - blocking the lines completely.

There were no fatalities in the incident, though 12 people were injured and taken to hospital. The track however, was severely damaged, as was the signalling equipment and Platform 1 at the station also sustained damage during the derailment.

A report published on January 6, 1994 from the Health and Safety Executive written by Major C. B. Holden reads: "At approximately 16.31 on Sunday, 15 June 1986, the 16.10 Glasgow Central to London Euston passenger train became derailed on the approach to Motherwell Station.

“Seven of the ten coaches of the train were involved and both the Up and Down main lines were blocked. Fortunately, there were no fatalities as a result of the derailment, although 12 passengers were injured and conveyed to hospital. Ten were discharged after treatment; the other two being detained overnight."

The cause of the incident was deemed to be due to the track at Lesmahagow junction buckling under the passage of the train - triggered by the restaurant buffet carriage. It was likely, though no other trains going down the line that day had experienced any issues, that the hot day had put more stress on the track and smaller carriages exerted less pressure on to the line too.