One dead, several injured after UK trains collide near Bedford

One person has been killed and multiple others injured after two East Midlands Railway passenger trains collided south of Bedford on Friday afternoon, British Transport Police said.

A major incident was declared as emergency crews, including air ambulances, rushed to the scene around 56 miles north of London. BTP said officers remain on site with Bedfordshire Police, Fire and Rescue, and Ambulance Services.

“We know that a number of people have been injured and one person has very sadly died,” BTP said in a late Friday update. Health Secretary James Murray thanked first responders for “helping those affected”.

*Chaos on board*  

Passenger Pete Knapp, who was in the front carriage, told the Press Association he was “flung into the chair in front” before seeing smoke. “People were crying, screaming… I saw a lot of people who were unable to speak, had broken legs. Life-threatening, major injuries,” he said. Knapp later posted on Bluesky that he was “in shock” with “bloody legs and back impact” but “ok”. “Others are not good,” he added.

Unverified social media footage showed damaged EMR carriages on the tracks, with passengers standing beside them. One passenger said a carriage had left the rails, though most trains stayed upright.

*Trains and disruption*  

EMR confirmed the crash involved two southbound trains heading to London St Pancras - one from Corby, the other from Nottingham. All services in and out of St Pancras were suspended for the rest of Friday evening.

Three ambulance services deployed teams, including air ambulances. Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue also sent crews.

*Investigation begins*  

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said she was “deeply concerned”. The Rail Accident Investigation Branch sent inspectors to start gathering evidence.

Train collisions are rare in the UK. The last fatal crash was in August 2020 near Stonehaven, Scotland, when a landslip caused a derailment that killed 3 people. Network Rail was later fined £6.7m for safety failings.