A train driver has died and 89 passengers were left with injuries, several of which are ‘life-threatening’, after a Luton Airport Express smashed into another stationary locomotive.
The incident occurred around Kempston, between Luton and Bedford, at about 5.15pm on Friday, when the train bound for St Pancras ploughed into the back of an East Midlands Railway train that is believed to have come to a stop.
It involved the 3.50pm service from Nottingham to St Pancras International and the 4.40pm Corby to the major London station.
A horrifying video taken at the scene moments after the crash shows passengers on board covered in blood and seriously injured. Images show several passengers wounded with swollen faces, bandaged heads and bruises.
The collision between two passenger trains near Bedford killed one and has left 11 people with ‘very serious’ injuries, 22 with serious injuries and 56 with minor injuries, the East of England Ambulance Service said.
Eddie Dempsey, the general secretary of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers confirmed that the victim was a train driver.
He said in a statement: ‘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.’
Dave Calfe, general secretary of the train drivers’ union Aslef, added: ‘Our thoughts tonight are with the family and friends of the driver who died in the crash near Bedford today and with the passengers who were injured in the accident.
‘We want to thank the emergency services who responded so quickly, to help those on board, and are still at the scene.’
Experts from the Rail Accident Investigation Branch were on site last night investigating how the collision occurred.
A Luton Airport Express train crashed into a stationary train causing serious injuries and bloodied passengers on board (seen)
A train driver has died and passengers have been left with ‘bloodied faces and broken legs’
The train going to Corby appears to have collided into the back of the Nottingham train
The incident reportedly occurred around Kempston between Luton and Bedford, at about 5.15pm where two East Midlands Railway trains smashed into one another
Investigators are looking into what may have been a fault with the stationary train’s Automatic Warning System (AWS), which applies the brakes on a train if the driver fails to acknowledge an upcoming red stop signal.
The Luton Airport Express train reportedly collided with the other East Midlands Train locomotive while the other driver of the other train was reporting the fault to maintenance staff by phone.
East Midlands Railway services to and from London St Pancras were suspended for the rest of the day and commuters experienced severe delays to their journeys.
Luton and Dunstable University Hospital told the public to avoid attending the emergency department unless they have a genuine emergency.
A witness on the train, Dr Pete Knapp, said he saw people with ‘life-threatening, major injuries, minor injuries’ as well as ‘people with bandages, people who couldn’t see straight’, while others like him were still able to walk.
He said: ‘I’ve got blood all over my trousers and my back hurts like hell but I’m alright.’
He added: ‘There was a moment of being flung into the chair in front, and then I saw smoke. People were crying, screaming, people were so scared and confused.
‘I got up and I saw a lot of people who were unable to speak, had broken legs, and then I managed to get out of the train and because I’m quite thin I was able to squeeze out through the gap in the doors.
‘My first thought was I needed to get out of the train just in case it was a terrorist explosion, I thought it was safer to get off the train.’
Dr Knapp, 40, said he had not felt the train slow down before the crash but other passengers told him they had.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said his thoughts are with the family of the driver who died in the train collision, as well as the people who were injured.
In a statement on X, Sir Keir said: ‘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.’
Health Secretary James Murray wrote on X: ‘I am being kept updated on the collision of two trains between Luton and Bedford.
‘A number of people have been injured and I thank first responders who are helping those affected.’
More than 30 emergency vehicles were at the scene including air ambulance helicopters, after the collision happened just south of the Elstow interchange between the A421 and the A6.
Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust was said to be expecting at least 50 casualties.
The train crash outside Bedford appears to have been a ‘relatively slow speed collision’, a rail expert has said.
Several passengers fled the trains following the collision
Online train trackers showed the rolling stock involved in the crash were a class 360 and class 810, with the front of the former hitting the rear of the latter.
East Midlands Railway began rolling out class 810s in December last year, while class 360s are at least 20 years old.
Tony Miles told Sky News the damage to the trains looked ‘fairly minimal’.
He said: ‘Obviously it’s a rear end collision, they were going in the same direction, so one of them, the rear one was going faster than the one it’s caught up with, for some reason. That’s not a complicated assumption.
‘So, the question has to be how has that train that’s in the rear got into contact with the train that it was following, and obviously it’s either gone past the signal that was telling it it should stop, or the signal was faulty, or the driver’s made a mistake in some way, or didn’t read the signal, or something.
‘Over the years, all of those different scenarios have happened, and it’s now a question of finding out why did one train catch up with the train that was in front of it, that was obviously going more slowly.
‘Whether it was stopped. I don’t know, but I say from the collision damage it looked like a relatively low speed collision.
‘So either the train in the rear was already slowing down or they were both going fairly slowly, and something’s happened, but it’s not a high-speed crash, certainly from the damage.’
He added: ‘Even if you’re going 40 miles an hour and you come to a halt in a few meters, you’ve got the energy of a 40-mile-an-hour body in you, and you’re going to move until you hit something, unfortunately. So, even relatively low speed collisions can be dangerous for people that are on board.’
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has said she is ‘deeply concerned’ after learning one person had died in the incident.
She wrote on X: ‘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.’
‘Police have declared a major incident and Rail Accident Investigation Branch inspectors are on site. A full investigation will take place.’
Bedford and Kempston MP Mohammad Yasin said in a Facebook post: ‘I’m very sorry to hear there has been a train collision between Bedford and Luton. Emergency services are at the scene. I will try to share more details soon.’
Thameslink said earlier in the evening: ‘All lines are blocked between Luton and Bedford. This is due to a problem under investigation.
‘If you cannot delay your journey, please note that you will be severely delayed and will likely need to use an alternative route to reach your destination.’
Replacement buses have been requested, they added.
Dozens of emergency services were at the scene
A horrifying video taken at the scene shows passengers on board injured
Police at Progress Park in Bedford, where families will pick up loved ones who were traveling on the affected trains
Dozens of crew from Bedfordshire fire service were at the scene and have advised the public to avoid the area.
Deputy Chief Constable Stuart Cundy of British Transport Police said: ‘We’ve declared a major incident and a significant emergency service response is ongoing.
‘We’re working at pace to establish exactly what’s happened and will provide further information as soon as we are able to.’
They previously said: ‘Officers from British Transport Police and Bedfordshire Police are on scene with colleagues from the local authority to assist any members of the public concerned about loved ones.
‘We understand that people are concerned about relatives or friends who may have been travelling on the trains involved in the incident near Bedford. We’re asking people not to travel to the scene and await further updates from emergency services.’
The crash follows a collision between two trains in mid Wales in October 2024, in which one passenger died and four other people were seriously hurt.
That was Britain’s first fatal crash involving multiple trains for more than a quarter of a century.
British Transport Police have been contacted for comment.
