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Several people were injured after two trains, one of which was the famous Flying Scotsman, collided at “slow speed” in the Highlands of Scotland, police said.
The crash happened at Aviemore railway station in the Cairngorms at 7.10pm on Friday. The station is home to Strathspey Railway, a heritage line that takes visitors on steam trains in northern Scotland.
Two people were taken to hospital as a precaution but their injuries were not believed to be serious, police said.
A spokesperson for the National Railway Museum confirmed that one of the trains was the record-breaking, century-old Flying Scotsman, the first steam train to reach over 100mph.
The museum described it as a “shunting incident” and said more information would be provided once more details were known.
Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) sent eight appliances to the scene, and Police Scotland said other injuries were treated at the station.
The Scottish Greens transport spokesperson, Mark Ruskell, said: “It is too early to know what has caused this incident, but clearly a full investigation will have to take place.
“From reports it appears this has been on the heritage track, the Strathspey Railway line, involving the Flying Scotsman and that nearby services on the main line have been temporarily impacted to allow emergency efforts to continue.
“We are thinking of all those involved at this challenging time and thank all those who have taken part in the emergency response.”
The Flying Scotsman was scheduled to be running trips this weekend, with the line expected to be especially busy.
A spokesperson for Network Rail said: “It’s on a heritage railway line, it’s not our infrastructure,” but urged passengers to check before travelling.
A statement from the Belmond and Strathspey Railway said: “We can confirm that on Friday September 29 … a shunting incident occurred when the Flying Scotsman locomotive was being coupled with Belmond’s Royal Scotsman train carriages, which were stationary on heritage railway line, Strathspey Railway.
“Flying Scotsman was visiting the railway as part of a planned excursion.
A tourist booked to travel on the famed steam train on Sunday saw the aftermath of the crash and told PA Media that he was surprised to see emergency services outside the station.
“We passed by the station and saw the Flying Scotsman and a fire engine at the platform,” he said.
“When we got back, we got a phone call from a friend asking if we had seen the accident. We didn’t know anything was wrong until we checked the news.”
PA Media and Agence France-Presse contributed to this report

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