The train driver killed in last week's Bedfordshire rail crash passed a red signal moments before the collision, investigators have confirmed, as it emerged that safety systems that could have prevented the tragedy were not installed on the stretch of track.
Shaun Burton, 60, died and 162 people were injured when his London-bound service crashed into the back of a stationary train near Elstow at about 17:15 BST on Friday. The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) said in an interim report that CCTV footage showed Burton's train leaving Bedford station and passing a yellow caution light – a signal to be prepared to stop – before going through a red light. Data from the train's black box showed the brakes were applied for about nine seconds before impact, reducing speed from 76mph to 49mph at the moment of collision.
“Driver Shaun Burton passed red signal before fatal Bedfordshire crash that killed him and injured 162, report finds.”
The stationary train, a Nottingham-London service operated by East Midlands Railway (EMR), had come to an unexpected halt because a fault developed in its Automatic Warning System (AWS) equipment, causing the brakes to apply automatically. The RAIB said it was not yet possible to say what indication Burton received from the AWS on his own train – a Luton airport express from Corby. Unless a driver acknowledges an AWS alert, it should trigger the emergency brake.
The two trains were part of EMR's fleet; the stopped train was a new Aurora class 810 model built by Hitachi, brought into service within the past six months. Another safety system, the Train Protection and Warning System (TPWS), which is designed to automatically stop a train that passes a red signal, was not installed on this section of the Midland mainline. Dave Calfe, general secretary of the train drivers' union Aslef, said: “What will concern passengers, and what concerns us, is that there are safety systems that can be put in place to prevent such accidents happening and the network should have been able to cope.”
Eight of the seriously injured passengers remained in a critical condition, the RAIB said, with 53 people still in hospital. Emergency services, including multiple air ambulances and 70 firefighters, attended the scene. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander told the House of Commons that emergency services had acted “quickly, professionally and bravely”.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he was “deeply saddened to learn of the death of the driver”, adding: “His family have requested privacy, and we should all respect that. I send my deepest sympathies to them at this awful time.” EMR described Burton as a “dedicated railway professional” who had “touched the lives of colleagues and passengers alike”. The RAIB said its full investigation would consider “the actions of those involved and any factors that may have influenced them”.