Nine people in critical condition after Bedford train crash kills driver and injures dozens

The collision

Two East Midlands Railway services bound for London St Pancras collided on the same southbound line south of Bedford shortly after 5 p.m. BST on Friday. The 4:40 p.m. departure from Corby struck the rear of the 3:50 p.m. service from Nottingham. Most carriages stayed upright but the front of the trailing train became embedded in the back of the stationary train, and at least one coach derailed.

Both services were running on a route where EMR services between Bedford and London have since been suspended until at least Monday. Online trackers identified the rolling stock as a class 360 and a class 810.

Casualties

More than 80 people received hospital treatment on Friday night. On Saturday morning British Transport Police Chief Constable Lucy D'Orsi said 28 remained in hospital, nine of them in a critical condition. East of England Ambulance Service deputy chief paramedic Paul Gates gave a more detailed breakdown: 11 people sustained very serious injuries, 32 serious injuries and 56 minor injuries.

Very serious11

Serious32

Minor56

Very serious

11 people

Serious

32 people

Minor

56 people

Data from the article text

A fire officer confirmed there was no fire during the incident. Paramedics took 54 casualties to six hospitals while those with less serious injuries were treated at the scene.

Investigation

Police and the Rail Accident Investigation Branch are working to establish the cause. D'Orsi asked the public to avoid speculation. Transport minister Heidi Alexander said it was too early to determine what happened. Transport expert Simon Calder told Sky News that the train in front had stopped because of a problem with the automatic warning system and was struck while the driver was attending to the fault.

“As of this morning, 28 remain in hospital, and nine are in a critical condition.”

Reactions

King Charles III released a statement through Buckingham Palace saying he was “greatly saddened” and offering sympathies to the family of the deceased driver and to all those injured. Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the crash “a devastating incident” and thanked emergency workers for their swift response. EMR managing director Will Rogers described it as “a profoundly sad day for the railway community”.

Passenger accounts

Passengers described being thrown forward by the impact. Pete Knapp, a doctor travelling on the train, said he saw fellow passengers with broken legs and was initially worried about a terrorist explosion. Brett Byatt told the BBC that in his carriage only three or four people were uninjured, with others suffering profuse bleeding, neck injuries or a snapped leg.

“The people in first class ended up with stomach and rib injuries, because they went into the tables they have in first class, and EMR trains, the way that they’re structured with seats, was probably the worst way it could have been structured for a train crash.”