A train driver lost their life and scores of others sustained serious injuries after two passenger trains collided near Bedford.
Crash Details
The crash involved two East Midlands Railway (EMR) services, with one striking the rear of the other on the same line shortly after 5pm on Friday. One passenger described being flung into the chair in front before seeing smoke in the immediate aftermath.
The train driver was killed, 11 people suffered very serious injuries and a further 22 were seriously hurt, according to the East of England Ambulance Service. All those with the most critical injuries have since been transferred to hospital. An additional 56 people sustained minor injuries and were treated either at the scene or in hospital.
The majority of carriages from both southbound trains remained on the tracks, though at least one derailed. The two trains involved were operating the 4.40pm departure from Corby and the 3.50pm departure from Nottingham, both bound for London St Pancras.
Passenger Accounts
Passenger Pete Knapp described scenes of people crying and screaming, with some appearing to have sustained severe injuries. The 40-year-old told the Press Association: There was a moment of being flung into the chair in front, and then I saw smoke. People were crying, screaming, people were so scared and confused. I got up and saw a lot of people who were unable to speak, had broken legs, and then I managed to get out of the train because I'm quite thin I was able to squeeze out through the gap in the doors.
Dr Knapp said he witnessed people with life-threatening and major injuries as well as those with minor injuries. He added: I've got blood all over my trousers and my back hurts like hell but I'm all right. He said he had not sensed the train decelerating before the collision, though other passengers told him they had.
Emergency Response
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer described the crash as hugely concerning and said he is grateful to the emergency services for their swift response. Air ambulance helicopters landed at the scene just south of the Elstow interchange between the A421 and the A6. A lengthy queue of emergency vehicles lined a rural road as crews and passengers assembled in an adjacent field.
Members of the public were urged to stay away from the crash site, while Bedford Hospital and Luton and Dunstable University Hospital both asked people not to attend their emergency departments unless they have a genuine medical emergency as they dealt with the incident.
Rail Service Impact
EMR trains to and from London were suspended for the remainder of the day. Online train trackers indicate the rolling stock involved were a class 360 and class 810, with the front of the former striking the rear of the latter. EMR began introducing class 810s in December last year, while class 360s are at least 20 years old.
A Network Rail spokesperson said: We are supporting the efforts of emergency services on scene and our thoughts are with everyone involved.
Union Statements
Eddie Dempsey, general secretary of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT), confirmed that the individual killed was the driver of one of the trains. He said: We are devastated to learn that a train driver and former RMT rep has tragically died as a result of today's crash between Luton and Bedford. The thoughts of RMT are with their family, friends, colleagues and the Aslef trade union at this awful time.
Dave Calfe, general secretary of train drivers' union Aslef, added: Our thoughts tonight are with the family and friends of the driver who died in the crash near Bedford today and with the passengers who were injured in the accident. We want to thank the emergency services who responded so quickly.
Investigation
Inspectors from the Rail Accident Investigation Branch were deployed to the scene to begin gathering evidence. The incident follows a collision between two trains in mid-Wales in October 2024, which claimed one passenger's life and left four others with serious injuries. That marked Britain's first fatal multi-train crash in more than a quarter of a century.
