Greenock rail crash

On 25 June 1994, the 22:45 from Wemyss Bay to Glasgow, in Scotland, derailed and smashed into a bridge after hitting concrete blocks deliberately placed on the railway line by vandals.

The train involved was a refurbished Class 303 Electric Multiple Unit. The concrete blocks were cable-trough covers, which were placed across the rails of the single-track line by two vandals who had climbed down to the railway to urinate on their way home. The line at this point is on a curve, going to the right as the train was travelling.

The leading bogie of the EMU derailed and the train immediately ran into the solid structure of the overbridge, crushing the drivers cab, killing driver Arthur McKee, 35, and also killing passenger Alan Nicol, 21, who was seated immediately behind the cab, with his back to the partition. Alan Nicol had taken this location to reduce the risk of injury from broken glass should the train be stoned by vandals, which was (and possibly still is) a common occurrence in that area.

The culprits, two 17-year olds from Greenock were each imprisoned for 15 years for culpable homicide.

Following the incident, several copycat acts took place, involving objects intentionally being placed on railway tracks.

See also

* List of rail accidents