Train driver dies and 89 injured in collision near Bedford

A train driver has died and 89 people have been injured after two trains collided in the Bedford area, with emergency services working into the night.

Of those injured, 11 people suffered “very serious” injuries and 22 were seriously injured, East of England ambulance service said, while a further 56 people had minor injuries and were treated at the scene or taken to hospital.

The two East Midlands railway services involved were the 4.40pm from Corby to St Pancras and the 3.50pm from Nottingham to London St Pancras, the rail operator said.

Air ambulance helicopters were on the ground after the collision happened just south of the Elstow interchange between the A421 and the A6.

Members of the public were told to stay away from local hospital emergency departments on Friday night unless they were suffering from a genuine emergency.

Eddie Dempsey, general secretary of the RMT union, said: “We are devastated to learn that a train driver and former RMT rep has tragically died as a result of today’s crash between Luton and Bedford. The thoughts of RMT are with their family, friends, colleagues and the ASLEF trade union at this awful time.”

East Midlands railway services to and from London St Pancras were suspended for the rest of the night.

The prime minister, Keir Starmer, wrote on X: “Hugely concerning reports of a collision involving two passenger trains near Bedford. 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.

“I am grateful to the emergency services for their swift response to this tragic incident.”

Dr Peter Knapp, a passenger in the front carriage of one of the trains involved, told the Guardian: “There was no indication of any collision, no screeching of wheels, nor sirens or alarms. Suddenly there was an impact. I thought it was a bomb, I saw a lot of smoke and people on the floor, bloodied faces. A lot of people crying and screaming.

“I managed to open the doors and squeeze out. I was in quite a lot of shock, my glasses had fallen off. We were in the middle of nowhere in a field.”

Knapp, 40, added: “My two shins have got gouges in them from the chair in front.

“I’ve got blood all over my trousers and my back hurts like hell but I’m all right.”

The rail accident investigation branch said a team of inspectors was at the scene to start gathering evidence.

The Bedford and Kempston MP, Mohammad Yasin, said he was “very sorry” to hear of the incident.

One of the trains involved was the new East Midlands railway Aurora, which came into service last year.

The transport secretary, Heidi Alexander, said: “Deeply saddened to hear one person has died and a number of people injured in the awful train collision near Bedford.

“Our thoughts are with their loved ones and everyone affected. Emergency services remain on scene.”

She added: “Police have declared a major incident and Rail Accident Investigation Branch inspectors are on site. A full investigation will take place.”

While the circumstances remain unclear, the scale and nature of the crash, involving new trains on the upgraded Midland mainline, will be a deep shock for the rail industry.

It is the first fatal collision between two passenger trains on a British mainline this century, with what appears in early reports to involve the highest number of serious injuries in any UK rail accident in two decades.

Two other collisions have occurred in the UK in recent years, after many years without a fatality: a head-on crash on a single-track line in Talerddig, Powys in 2024, that killed one person, and a crash between two trains at a junction near Salisbury in 2021 – both autumn incidents where trains could or did not brake in time.

Accident investigators will be examining why one train had halted and the other failed to stop, given the safety systems put in place in the wake of a series of crashes in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Additional reporting by Gwyn Topham