Driver dead & nearly 90 injured after train crashes into back of another – as passengers thrown in air and left bloodied
A DRIVER has died after one train rammed into another on Friday, leaving commuters bloodied and with broken bones.
Nearly 90 people were injured with authorities reporting 33 very serious or serious injuries and 56 minor injuries after a pair of East Midlands Railway services collided just south of Bedford at 5.15pm.
Horrified passengers said they had no warning of the crash and that the terrifying shunt, which mangled carriages and ripped up seats, felt “like a bomb had gone off”.
Footage from inside the train appears to show passengers covered in blood and on the floor.
In the clip, seats are seen on top of travellers as one screams “help me!” while another says “I’m hit” and a third screams “I can’t see”.
The person killed in the crash was the driver of one of the trains, the general secretary of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) said in a statement.
Both trains were headed for London with the first, a 3.50pm service from Nottingham to St Pancras, stopping with a safety fault.
It was running 18 minutes late when the 4.40pm Corby train, which had stopped at Bedford station two minutes earlier, slammed into the back of it.
It is unclear how fast the train was going at the time but the driver is said to have applied the emergency brake.
Qunnie Wu, 24, a student at De Montfort University in Leicester, told The Sun about the chaos ensuing the crash.
She had a streak of blood running down her face from the corner of her eye as she sat waiting to be checked by medics.
The Chinese national said: “I was on the train and there was a very strong crash.
“Everyone involved was very badly hurt. Some people had blood coming from eyes, nose and mouth.
“People were screaming and crying. They were screaming for help. When I cried, a lot of people came to comfort me.
“Staff on the train came to comfort me to tell me it will all be ok. I was so scared. Of course it hurts but it’s not as bad as some people.”
Uppingham College student Newton Xu, 18, was travelling to London after having completed his last A-level exam on Friday morning.
He said: “I was with my friend but I lost contact with him.
“He’s in hospital. He seemed to be quite injured. We are lucky.
“I was looking out the window and it was as if I just woke up and it was chaos.
“My friend was lying on the floor and couldn’t move. He’d hurt his leg. I hope he’s ok.”
Passengers were hurled into the air, with several carriages derailed when the trains collided.
Shola Mene described the scene to the BBC, saying: “It was like a big bang [and] then people flew from their seats, the seats were pulling, and then someone just flew across and hit my husband in the face.
“There was a lot of blood. A lot of people had facial injuries.”
Meanwhile, Teresa Itabor, from Northamptonshire, told The Times she had been travelling to London to celebrate her birthday when the chaos unfolded.
She said upon leaving Bedford station, she heard a “massive bang” and her head struck the seat in front of her.
“I opened my eyes and that’s when I saw people on the floor with blood everywhere,” she said.
Doctors and nurses at Bedford Hospital were told to prepare for 50 casualties, as well as potential fatalities.
Off-duty medical staff were asked to return to work with “all hands” needed to treat badly hurt commuters with injured passengers also taken to Luton and Dunstable University Hospital.
Both hospitals advised the public to avoid attending their emergency departments as they responded to the incident “unless they have a genuine medical emergency”.
Eddie Dempsey, general secretary of the RMT, confirmed one of the drivers had died in a statement.
He said: “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.”
British Transport Police said he was pronounced dead at the scene and his family had been informed.
Shocking photos showed a one of the driver’s compartments severely damaged while other images from the scene showed people jumping from the battered carriages to escape.
Some were seen with bandaged, bloodied heads as they waited to go to hospital with the most severely injured airlifted by five air ambulances.
Fire and rescue, police, and the ambulance service all descended on the scene and treated casualties in a field in what was a huge emergency response.
A team of Rail Accident Investigation Branch inspectors were also at the crash site to gather evidence.
Passenger Pete Knapp told BBC News: “The front carriage collided into the front of another one and when I got up I saw all of the chairs everywhere and it felt like I’d been in a bomb explosion.
“When I got up I saw people with bloodied faces and people’s legs looked broken and there was smoke everywhere.
“I didn’t hear any explosions or slowing down of the train. Some people were spitting out blood. Lots of people are sat down. I can’t sit down because my back hurts so much.”
Sir Keir Starmer said in a statement: “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.”
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander wrote on X: “I’m deeply concerned to hear reports of the collision involving 2 East Midlands Railway passenger trains.
“I’m grateful to emergency services who are on the scene, attending to those affected.
“We’re working quickly with the rail industry and local partners to support passengers.”
The East of England Ambulance Service said in a statement on Friday evening: “We sent a large number of resources to the scene, including more than 20 ambulances, specialist Hazardous Area Response Teams, and six air ambulances.
“All patients with the most serious injuries have now been taken from the scene to hospital.
“Sadly, one person died at the scene. A further 11 people suffered very serious injuries, 22 were seriously injured, and a further 56 people had minor injuries. Those with minor injuries were treated at the scene or taken to hospital where needed.”
They added: “Our thoughts are with everyone affected, and we thank all emergency service colleagues for their swift response.”
East Midlands Railway said it would launch a full investigation.
All services between Bedford and Luton were cancelled with EMR trains “unable to run in or out of” St Pancras for the rest of the day, sparking travel chaos.
Commuters were advised not to travel as emergency responders dealt with the crash fallout.
Thameslink posted on X: “If you have not begun your journey, do not travel.”
Both EMR and Thameslink outlined alternative routes at no extra cost on their websites.
Train crashes are rare in the UK with the last fatal collision coming in October 2024, in Talerddig, Wales, when two trains hit each other head on, killing one passenger.
