Aberdeen rail passengers have seen major disruption after services travelling south of the city were cancelled following a train derailment.
UPDATE 10.22am: Engineers are on site at Stonehaven, and will begin work to rerail the train as quickly as possible. Once this has been done, Network Rail will also inspect the track for damage and make any repairs necessary.
The non-passenger train came off the tracks close to Stonehaven and the train was left straddling two sets of tracks.
ScotRail and the British Transport Police were called to the scene of the incident shortly after 5pm last night.
It is believed no one was injured in the incident, however, all services terminated at Dundee as a result.
Due to derailment at #Stonehaven there are no trains travelling North from Dundee.
On conclusion of investigation, train will be removed & any damage to track will be assessed & repaired before service can resume
Contact your train operator for alternative travel information pic.twitter.com/vO7fOjZpbn
— NetworkRail Scotland (@NetworkRailSCOT) October 11, 2018
ScotRail said all services between Aberdeen and Dundee would be suspended until at least 6pm today.
The company apologised for any inconvenience caused to those travelling.
Rail replacement buses were organised by ScotRail to transport passengers from Dundee to the city and vice versa.
A statement from ScotRail said: “A train has become derailed at Stonehaven which is preventing us from running any trains through this area.
UPDATE: Ticket Acceptance is still in place with Stagecoach East:
-Between Dundee – Arbroath: Service 73 & 39
-Between Arbroath – Montrose: Service 30Please note: Train tickets will not be accepted on the X7. You can find live bus arrival times here: https://t.co/A6cy6JpqgH
— ScotRail (@ScotRail) October 11, 2018
“Disruption will continue until the end of service.
“We’re organising replacement buses between Aberdeen and Dundee.
“If you’re travelling to Aberdeen you can use ScotRail services via Inverness.”
One woman said they were told they would have to catch the 7pm train to Dundee then get on a bus to Aberdeen from there.
She said many people could not get on the 7pm service.
Aberdeenshire councillor Ian Mollison had been invited to take a trip on one of the new “high-speed” trains to from Aberdeen to Edinburgh yesterday.
On his way back up north, Mr Mollison was forced to terminate his journey in Dundee due to the Stonehaven derailment. He said: “How embarassing for ScotRail.”
A ScotRail spokesman said the track would be inspected for damage once the train was removed today.
He added: “We are making plans for services between Dundee and Aberdeen to be suspended until at least 6pm.”