A train driver has died and dozens of passengers have been injured after two East Midlands Railway trains collided near Bedford.
The crash happened south of Bedford at around 5.15pm on Friday 19 June and involved two EMR services travelling towards London St Pancras.
EMR said:
‘We are deeply saddened to confirm that yesterday the 16:40 EMR service from Corby to London St Pancras was involved in a collision with the 15:50 Nottingham to London St Pancras service at Bedford South.
‘Tragically, this incident resulted in the fatality of an EMR driver and a number of injuries to passengers on board.
‘Our thoughts and condolences are with their family, friends and colleagues, as well as everyone else affected by this incident. We are continuing to work closely with Network Rail and the emergency services.’
East Midlands Railway said the trains involved were the 4.40pm service from Corby to London St Pancras and the 3.50pm service from Nottingham to London St Pancras. One of the trains was understood to have been stationary when the collision happened.
British Transport Police confirmed that one person had died and that a major incident had been declared. The RMT union later said it was “devastated” to learn that a train driver and former RMT representative had died.
The East of England Ambulance Service said 89 people were injured. Of those, 11 suffered very serious injuries, 22 were seriously injured and 56 had minor injuries. More than 20 ambulances and six air ambulances were sent to the scene, alongside police, firefighters and specialist emergency response teams.
The collision happened near Bedford South, close to the Elstow area between the A421 and A6. Emergency services remained at the scene into Friday evening while passengers were treated and the area was made safe.
Passengers described chaotic scenes after the impact, with people thrown from their seats, smoke inside carriages and injured passengers calling for help. Some passengers were led away from the railway line across nearby fields to reach emergency service crews gathered on a nearby road.
British Transport Police asked relatives and friends of passengers not to travel to the scene, saying officers were working with Bedfordshire Police, the local authority and emergency services to assist people concerned about loved ones.
Deputy Chief Constable Stuart Cundy said officers were working at pace to establish exactly what had happened.
He said: “We’ve declared a major incident and a significant emergency service response is ongoing. We’re working at pace to establish exactly what’s happened and will provide further information as soon as we are able to.”
The Rail Accident Investigation Branch has sent inspectors to the site and a full investigation is expected to examine the circumstances leading up to the collision.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said reports of the crash were “hugely concerning” and said his thoughts were with the family of the person who had died and with those seriously injured. He also thanked the emergency services for their response.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said she was deeply saddened by the death and injuries and confirmed that police had declared a major incident.
EMR services to and from London St Pancras were suspended following the crash, with major disruption affecting the Midland Main Line, including services between Nottingham, Leicester, Corby, Bedford and London.
Bedford Hospital and Luton and Dunstable University Hospital asked people not to attend emergency departments unless they had a genuine medical emergency while they responded to the incident.
