A train worker has lodged an official complaint with Scotland’s rail operator after a passenger service was used to transport a body found near the tracks while commuters were still on board.
The rail conductor was reportedly “disgusted” by the move after police and ambulance services decided the distance to the nearest road was too far to transport the victim safely.
Passengers were reportedly moved into alternative carriages just north of Dumfries to allow the body to travel on the Glasgow to Carlisle service in January, the Scotsman reported.
READ MORE: Nine out of ten Scottish passengers 'satisfied' with ScotRail service
ScotRail told the newspaper it was the “most dignified way” of removing the body.
Emergency crews walked just over a mile along the tracks to find the scene of the incident after parking their vehicles three miles north of a signal box near the town.
The train was due to arrive in Dumfries just after midnight and it was decided taping off one carriage would be the quickest way to move the body.
One source told the Scotsman: “A ‘dignity crew’ drove to the nearest location, at the Holywood signal box, and walked up the track. The last train was held while the body was loaded aboard.
“The body was on the train for a very short time, and taken off at Dumfries Station. This is not common or policy.”
READ MORE: Abellio's £11m fines for years of ScotRail failure
ScotRail refused to confirm whether a complaint had been received, however some reports suggested at least one of the handful of passengers still on board the train was upset by the incident.
A spokesperson for the rail operator said: “We worked closely with the emergency services to ensure this tragic event was handled in the most dignified way possible.
“Anyone affected by this incident can contact Samaritans for free of charge, any time, from any phone, on 116 123.”
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel