Passengers were thrown from their seats as one train rammed into the back of another south of Bedford during Friday’s rush hour, killing the driver and leaving more than 80 people injured.
The driver has been named as Shaun Burton, 60, who was described by colleagues as “dedicated to his job, devoted to his colleagues and enormously popular at his depot”. Tributes poured in for the veteran driver as investigators worked to establish how an East Midlands Railway train crashed into a stationary train on the same line near the hamlet of Kempston Hardwick.
“Train driver Shaun Burton, 60, killed and over 80 injured after rush-hour crash near Bedford.”
The King said he was “greatly saddened” by the crash, which left nine people in a critical condition. The driver of the stationary train was killed in the collision. Passengers described the moment of impact, with some saying fellow travellers were hurled from their seats as the trains telescoped into each other.
Network Rail and emergency services worked through the weekend to clear the wreckage and begin repairs to the track, with experts focused on reopening the line as soon as possible. The cause of the crash remains under investigation by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch.