A passenger who survived the Bedford train crash described being “picked up and shaken like dice” as two East Midlands Railway services collided head-to-tail just south of the Elstow interchange on Friday evening, leaving the driver of one train dead and 100 people injured.
Dr Peter Knapp told the BBC he felt as if he had been in “a bomb explosion” when the 4:40pm from Corby slammed into the rear of the 3:50pm from Nottingham shortly after 5:12pm. Emergency services declared a major incident within minutes, and by Saturday morning nine people remained in a critical condition out of 28 still in hospital, according to British Transport Police chief constable Lucy D’Orsi.
“Nine people are critical after a train crash near Bedford killed a driver and injured 100 passengers.”
Brett Byatt, a 40-year-old teacher from Bedford who was on the stationary train that was hit, described passengers being flung into each other as the carriage seats broke backwards. “I saw a woman snap her leg,” he told BBC Radio 4. “90% of passengers in my carriage were injured.” Byatt, who escaped injury by clutching a stanchion near the doors, said he had moved from shock to “pretty angry”, questioning why a driver had to die over signal failures on an ageing network.
The East of England Ambulance Service confirmed 11 people sustained “very serious” injuries, 32 suffered serious injuries, and 56 had minor injuries. Paramedics took 54 people to six hospitals, with the rest treated at the scene. Bedford Hospital had called for “all hands on deck” as it prepared for at least 50 casualties.
The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) confirmed the driver’s death. General secretary Eddie Dempsey said: “The thoughts of RMT are with their family, friends, colleagues and the Aslef trade union at this awful time.” Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer called the collision “hugely concerning”, and King Charles said he was “greatly saddened” by the tragedy.
Travel expert Simon Calder reported that the crash resulted from a technical fault on the rail lines. The Rail Accident Investigation Branch has begun a formal inquiry, assisted by National Rail, British Transport Police, and East Midlands Railway.
All lines between Luton and Bedford remain blocked, with trains between London St Pancras and Bedford suspended for the weekend. East Midlands Railway is diverting services and accepting tickets from other operators including LNER, Southern, Thameslink, and Great Northern. Network Rail’s East Midlands route director Mark Budden said: “We will provide updates as soon as we have a clearer understanding of the recovery work required and when the railway can safely reopen.”