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A final report into the fatal train derailment near Stonehaven will not be ready this year, ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Scotland understands.

Three people died when a train left the tracks after hitting a landslip in August 2020.

An interim Rail Accident Investigation Branch said a signaller was not aware of any obstruction on the line.

But the final report, which had been expected this autumn, will not be published until January.

Driver Brett McCullough, 45, conductor Donald Dinnie, 58, and passenger Christopher Stuchbury, 62, died when the 06:38 Aberdeen to Glasgow Queen Street train derailed in August last year.

The train had turned back due to another landslip when it hit a landslip at Carmont near Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire after heavy rain.

The driver was only four seconds from impact before the debris could be seen and the emergency braking was too late.

The interim report published in April said the driver was told he could run at normal speed before the accident. Data from the on-train data recorder (OTDR) showed it was travelling at about 73mph (117km/h), within the normal range for the line.

The report from the Rail Accident Investigation Branch is thought to be in its last stages.