Driver killed in UK train collision, cops confirm

LONDON: British Transport Police said on Saturday a train driver had been killed when two trains collided north of London on Friday, an accident that also left 11 people seriously injured.

The crash occurred late in the afternoon near Bedford, a town around 90km north of the UK capital, and involved two London-bound trains on the same track, according to East Midlands Railway (EMR).

“Tragically, one person was pronounced dead at the scene. He is the driver of one of the trains involved,” transport police said in a statement.

In total, 33 people were taken to hospital, including 11 in serious condition, the police added.

Another 56 people were treated for injuries.

Transport secretary Heidi Alexander said it was “too early to speculate” on the cause of the crash.

“We will make sure that there’s a thorough investigation done to establish how this collision happened and to ensure that lessons are learnt so that we don’t have an incident like this ever again,” Alexander said.

A passenger on one of the trains, Paul Cavin, told the BBC: “We had stopped and suddenly we were hit from behind pretty bad.”

His train was heading for London’s St Pancras station.

“There were people injured on my carriage,” he said, adding he could see many wounded people walking away from the trains, some with “smashed up noses”.

Another passenger, Brett Byatt, told BBC radio on Saturday: “This morning, it feels surreal and I think I’ve moved into the stage of anger now. I’m feeling pretty angry.”

Train collisions are relatively rare in the United Kingdom.

In September 2023, several people were injured after two trains collided at Aviemore station in the Scottish Highlands.