“People were spitting out bl00d” – An eye-witness has recalled horrifying scenes after a devastating train crash k-i the driver and left 33 people seriously injured, with many passengers convinced a b0mb had exploded.
A passenger caught up in the devastating train crash that killed a driver and left at least 33 people seriously injured said the impact sounded ‘like a terrorist bomb exploding’ as people were thrown from their seats.
Passengers suffered broken bones and were left ‘spitting out blood’ when a Luton Airport Express service ploughed into the back of a stationary East Midlands Railway train at around 5.15pm on Friday near Bedford.
A video taken inside one of the carriages shows panicked travellers lying on the floor and crying out for help. One person can be heard frantically saying, ‘We need to get off’.
Eyewitness, Dr Pete Knapp, 40, who was travelling in the front carriage of one of the trains, said his first thought was that a ‘terrorist bomb’ had gone off.
‘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,’ he said.
‘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.’ He added that some people were ‘spitting out blood’.
Passengers say one of the trains had been stationary when the second hit it.
Investigators are examining whether a fault with the stationary train’s safety systems may have played a role in the crash. The system is designed to automatically apply the brakes if a driver fails to acknowledge an approaching red signal.
It is understood the Luton Airport Express train collided with the East Midlands Railway service while its driver was reporting the issue to maintenance staff by phone.
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A video taken inside one of the carriages after the crash shows panicked travellers lying on the floor and crying out for help
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A Luton Airport Express train crashed into a stationary train causing serious injuries and bloodied passengers on board
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Aerial image shows the aftermath of the train crash in Bedford yesterday afternoon
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Injured and bewildered passengers gather by the side of the tracks after two trains collided near Bedford on Friday
The collision involved the 3.50pm service from Nottingham and the 4.40pm from Corby, both heading to London’s St Pancras International station.
Acording to the East of England Ambulance Service, 11 people suffered very serious injuries, 22 had serious injuries and 56 were left with minor injuries.
A passenger on one of the trains said he thought 90 per cent of the people in his carriage had serious injuries and were unstable to stand.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Brett Byatt, who was unharmed, said: ‘The people in first class ended up with stomach and rib injuries, because they went into the tables they have in first class, and EMR (East Midlands Railway) trains, the way that they’re structured with seats, was probably the worst way it could have been structured for a train crash, in the sense that there’s nothing… because they’re, they face each other in the three by three and the two by three, and the seat… when people flew into one another, the seats that they were on, like, broke backwards into the people behind them.’
The teacher from Bedford, added: ‘I’d say 90 per cent of the people on my carriage had injuries, I’d probably say from three to four of us were uninjured in a full carriage.
‘Everyone else had either a serious wound that was bleeding profusely, or a situation where they couldn’t stand, or couldn’t move their neck; I saw a woman’s snapped leg.’
Eddie Dempsey, the general secretary of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) confirmed last night that the person who had died 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.’
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This photo taken the day after the crash shows one of the trains that was involved in the collision
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Dozens of emergency services were sent to the scene of the crash
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The train coming from Corby collided with the Nottingham train, both bound for London’s St Pancras International station
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.’
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.
Many of the injured were taken to Luton and Dunstable University Hospital, which advised the public to only come to A&E if they had a genuine emergency.
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, which 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.
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Because of the incident, 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
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Police closed roads close to the railway tracks to allow access to emergency services only
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Uninjured passengers were able to leave carriages with their luggage by walking alongside a wrecked train
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, a railway journalist, told Sky News that 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.’
Train operator 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.
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A horrifying video taken at the scene shows injured passengers being tended to by emergency services
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Police at a Progress Park park’n’ride in Bedford, where families were able to collect loved ones who had been caught up in the incident
Dozens of crew from Bedfordshire fire service were at the scene and 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.’
Earlier in the day they 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.’
This is the second fatal crash involving multiple trains in more than a quarter of a century. The previous one was in October 2024, when two trains in Powys, Wales, collided. One passenger died and four others were seriously hurt.
British Transport Police have been contacted for comment.
