One dead, 89 injured after two trains collide near Bedford north of London

One train driver has died and 89 people have been injured after two passenger trains collided north of London near Bedford on Friday evening, triggering a major emergency response and widespread disruption to services into the capital.

Authorities said the crash occurred at around 5.15 pm local time as both trains were travelling southbound towards London St Pancras station. Emergency services declared a major incident and dispatched ambulances, fire crews and an air ambulance to the scene.

The East of England Ambulance Service reported that 11 people suffered very serious injuries, 22 were seriously injured and 56 sustained minor injuries. Rail operators confirmed that services to and from St Pancras were suspended for the rest of Friday, with no immediate clarity on Saturday’s timetable.

The fatality was confirmed as a train driver, according to Eddie Dempsey, general secretary of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers.

Collision near Bedford

The crash involved two East Midlands Railway services, a 4.40 pm departure from Corby to St Pancras and a 3.50 pm service from Nottingham to the same London terminus.

Rail tracking information indicated both trains were on southbound routes when they came into contact outside Bedford. The cause of the collision has not yet been confirmed.

Police said multiple agencies remained at the scene late into the evening, working alongside fire and rescue teams and ambulance crews as investigations began.

Passenger accounts

Passengers described sudden impact and scenes of panic inside the carriages following the collision.

Peter Knapp, who was travelling in the rear train, said there was no warning before the crash.

“There was a moment of being flung into the chair in front, and then I saw smoke," Knapp said. “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," he added. "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.”

Emergency responders treated injured passengers at the scene, where images on social media showed people sitting along a road beside the railway line, many with visible injuries while others waited for assistance.

Emergency response and disruption

The East of England Ambulance Service said hazardous response teams and air ambulances were deployed alongside standard emergency units.

Police said a major incident had been declared and confirmed that investigations were ongoing with multiple emergency agencies involved.

Rail services into and out of London St Pancras were cancelled for the remainder of Friday, with operators warning of continued disruption.

The RMT union said it was monitoring developments closely and raised concern over reports of serious injuries to both passengers and railway staff.

Officials have not yet released any findings on what caused the collision.

Rare but serious rail incidents in the UK

Serious train accidents remain uncommon in Britain, though there have been notable incidents in recent years.

In September 2023, passengers were injured when two trains collided at Aviemore station in Scotland, involving a stationary carriage on a heritage railway.

In August 2020, a passenger service travelling from Aberdeen to Glasgow derailed near Stonehaven in northeast Scotland after heavy rainfall triggered a landslip, killing three people and injuring several others.

(With AP inputs)