A train driver was killed and 100 people were injured when two passenger trains collided near Bedford, north of London, on June 19. Nine of the injured remained in critical condition the following day, while 28 people were being treated in hospital.
The collision happened at about 5:15 p.m. near Elstow, south of Bedford station. Both trains were East Midlands Railway services travelling toward London St Pancras: the 4:40 p.m. service from Corby and the 3:50 p.m. service from Nottingham. British Transport Police declared a major incident as ambulance, fire, police and air-ambulance teams responded.
The East of England Ambulance Service said 11 people suffered very serious injuries, 32 had serious injuries and 57 sustained minor injuries. Those figures brought the total number of injured passengers and crew to 100. Early reports had placed the number at 89 before the assessment was updated.
Passengers described a sudden impact that threw people from their seats. Emergency workers treated casualties at the scene and transferred the most seriously injured to hospitals. The driver of the Corby-to-London service died in the crash, authorities said.
The Rail Accident Investigation Branch and British Transport Police opened investigations into the circumstances of the collision. Officials asked the public to avoid speculation while investigators gathered evidence from the trains, track and signalling systems. No official cause had been announced.
Rail services between Bedford and London St Pancras were suspended while responders worked at the site and plans were made for a complex recovery operation. Network Rail warned that the closure would continue through the weekend, affecting East Midlands Railway and other services using the route.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer thanked emergency and NHS workers involved in the response. Transport officials said a full investigation would seek to establish how two in-service passenger trains came to collide on one of Britain's busiest intercity corridors.
