The derailment at Stonehaven coincided with another disappointment for rail users as a “high-speed” train broke down on its first trip between Aberdeen and Edinburgh shortly before.
The first of a planned 26 Inter7City trains, comprising carriages from the 1970s which have each been given an extensive makeover worth about £2million apiece, left from Aberdeen with invited guests aboard on Wednesday afternoon for a special “preview trip” to the capital.
But the outing was thrown into turmoil when the train sputtered to a halt near Ladybank Station in Fife, and stood still for 30 minutes.
When the passengers – which comprised Scotrail top brass, local dignitaries and invited railway enthusiasts – eventually reached Edinburgh they were told they would be unable to return to the north-east on the new train as planned.
Instead, it was taken in for repairs at Haymarket Station and the passengers boarded standard trains home.
The unfortunate situation was compounded for North Kincardine councillor, Ian Mollison, when the subsequent derailment at Stonehaven left him stranded in Dundee for 45 minutes.
Mr Mollison said: “The bus that eventually came didn’t have room for everyone, only about a third of the people waiting.
“There were some people who had been intending to catch flights from Aberdeen, and strangers were clubbing together to pay for taxis.
“It was an inconvenience for me, but very embarrassing for Scotrail.”
A spokesman for the rail firm yesterday confirmed that the train was “all sorted now” and ready to enter regular service on Monday.
Despite being advertised as bringing about reduced journey times, Scotrail managing director Alex Hynes admitted that journeys between the two cities on the Inter7City train will only be 10 minutes shorter until at least next December.
