Bedford Train Crash: Driver Dead, Dozens Injured in Collision

What we know so far about Bedford train crash

Two passenger trains have collided in the Bedford area, leaving a driver dead and dozens of passengers and crew hurt.

Emergency crews were on the scene after the crash happened between two East Midlands Railway (EMR) services shortly after 17:00 BST on Friday.

Confirming the death shortly before 21:00 BST, the British Transport Police (BTP) said a major incident had been declared.

The East of England Ambulance Service said the crash had left 89 people injured to varying degrees, with 11 of them suffering "very serious injuries".

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said reports of the collision were "hugely concerning", and that his thoughts were with the family of the person who died and with those seriously injured.

When and where did the train crash happen?

The crash happened just south of the Elstow interchange between the A421 and the A6.

A passenger on board one of the trains told the BBC that the collision happened at 17:12 BST.

Rail service Thameslink reported that lines between Luton and Bedford had been blocked from around 17:30 BST.

The BTP said just before 18:45 BST that it was responding to reports of a collision near Bedford.

What happened when the trains collided?

Passengers say they saw another train that appeared stationary or slow-moving ahead of theirs on the same line before the crash occurred.

Dr Peter Knapp told BBC News: "I felt like I'd been in a bomb explosion."

Knapp described seeing "bloodied faces", people with what appeared to be broken legs and "smoke everywhere".

Another passenger told the BBC that people flew out of their seats in the crash, including someone who hit her husband in the face.

"There was a lot of blood. A lot of people had facial injuries," Shola Mene said.

Aerial footage of the aftermath shows most of the trains' carriages on the tracks but at least one had been shunted off.

The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) confirmed that one of the train drivers had died as a result of the crash.

General secretary Eddie Dempsey said: "The thoughts of RMT are with their family, friends, colleagues and the Aslef trade union at this awful time."

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch said it was in Bedford trying to find out exactly what had happened.

It said in a statement on X: "A team of RAIB inspectors is on site at the scene of a collision between two trains near Elstow, to start gathering evidence."

Which train services were involved?

EMR has confirmed two of its trains were involved in the collision.

A spokesperson said: "The 16:40 EMR train from Corby to London St Pancras has been involved in a collision with 15:50 Nottingham [to] London St Pancras, at Bedford South."

The train operator's services to and from London St Pancras have been suspended over the weekend, with trains beginning or ending their journeys at Bedford, it said.

EMR added that it would be unable to retrieve luggage left aboard the two trains that crashed until the BTP had completed its initial investigation.

What have the emergency services said?

The BTP initially said it had responded to a collision between two trains in the Bedford area, and urged people not to travel to the scene.

"A major incident has been declared, and officers are continuing to respond at the scene alongside colleagues from Bedfordshire Police and the local Fire and Rescue and Ambulance Services."

The East of England Ambulance Service said in a statement that 11 people had been left with very serious injuries, 22 had been seriously injured and 56 people had minor injuries.

It said it had dispatched "a number of resources", including an air ambulance.

Bedford Hospital and Luton and Dunstable University Hospital have asked people to avoid attending their emergency departments "unless they have a genuine medical emergency" while they treated victims of the crash.

What has been the reaction from politicians?

Calling the incident "concerning", Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer paid tribute to the emergency services for their swift response to the crash.

"First and foremost, my thoughts are with the family of the person who has sadly lost their life, and with those who have been seriously injured," he wrote on X.

"A number of people have been injured and I thank first responders who are helping those affected."