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What we know so far about Bedford train crash
🇬🇧 United Kingdom /Disasters & Emergencies

What we know so far about Bedford train crash

From BBC News · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Two East Midlands Railway passenger trains collided near Bedford at 5:12 PM BST on Friday, resulting in serious injuries to passengers and crew.
  • Emergency services, including Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue and British Transport Police, are on the scene.
  • The Rail Accident Investigation branch has dispatched a team to investigate the cause of the collision, which occurred between the 4:40 PM Corby to London St Pancras and the 3:50 PM Nottingham to London St Pancras services.

Two passenger trains operated by East Midlands Railway (EMR) collided near Bedford on Friday evening, causing serious injuries to passengers and crew. The crash occurred at approximately 5:12 PM BST between two EMR services. Emergency crews, including Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue and British Transport Police, responded swiftly to the incident, which took place just south of Bedford.

A team of RAIB inspectors is on site at the scene of a collision between two trains near Elstow, to start gathering evidence.

— Rail Accident Investigation branchStatement from the RAIB confirming their inspectors are at the crash site to investigate.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander expressed deep concern over the reports, while the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union confirmed that passengers and staff sustained "serious injuries." The Rail Accident Investigation branch has deployed a team to the scene to gather evidence and determine the cause of the collision.

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.

— East Midlands Railway spokespersonConfirmation from the train company about the specific services involved in the collision.

Eyewitness accounts describe a chaotic scene. Passenger Peter Knapp reported seeing "bloodied faces," apparent broken legs, and "smoke everywhere." Another passenger, Shola Mene, told the BBC that people were thrown from their seats during the impact, with one individual hitting her husband in the face. "There was a lot of blood. A lot of people had facial injuries," Mene said.

We are currently on the scene and working with Network Rail to assist the emergency services.

— East Midlands Railway spokespersonStatement from the train company regarding their response and cooperation with emergency services.

The collision involved the 4:40 PM EMR train from Corby to London St Pancras and the 3:50 PM train from Nottingham to London St Pancras. Initial reports suggest one train may have collided with another that was stationary or moving slowly ahead on the same line. The exact sequence of events is under investigation by the Rail Accident Investigation branch. Police have advised family and friends of passengers not to travel to the accident site and to await official updates.

Further updates will be provided as soon as more information is established.

— East Midlands Railway spokespersonCommitment from the train company to provide more information as it becomes available.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by BBC News. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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