Bedford rail crash horror as passengers seriously injured after two trains collide

Passengers have been left seriously injured after two train collided this afternoon.

Graphic footage taken by passengers reveal two East Midlands Railway (EMR) services smashing into each other on the tracks.

More than 30 emergency vehicles are attending the crash after EMR confirmed frontline workers were handling an incident between London St Pancras and Leicester.

Five air ambulance helicopters are in attendance at the major incident, alongside the Hazardaous Area Response Team.

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Friends and relatives of those affected have been instructed to not travel to the scene of the crash, Bedfordshire Police said.

The first train is believed to have ground to a halt, citing a safety system fault, after which the second train rammed into the back of the train.

At least one is a Luton Airport Express train. EMR trains are "unable to run in or out of" London St Pancras for the remainder of the day.

The collision took place south of the Elstow interchange between the A421 and the A6.

Now, Bedford hospital is currently expecting at least 50 casualties as medics ordered "all hands on deck", it is understood.

Senior staff have called for juniors to come into work to help out with those injured while several deaths are also expected.

One eyewitness told the BBC: "When I got up, I saw all the chairs everywhere. It felt like I had been in a bomb explosion. I saw people's bloodied face, legs looks broken... some people spitting out blood."

A Corby train is believed to have "ran into the back of a Nottingham train" at around 5.15pm earlier this afternoon.

It involved the EMR 3.50pm service from Nottingham to St Pancras International and the 4.40pm Corby to St Pancras services, The Telegraph said.

The crash has impacted surrounding services, with Thameslink warning commuters of blocked lines between Luton and Bedford "due to a problem under investigation".

Dr Pete Knapp posted on Bluesky: “Train heading south from Bedford crashed at 17:12. Front of train ok, third carriage off rails.

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"I’m ok with bloody legs and back impact. Others are not good. Sudden crash, no slowing down or horns. No warning. No explosion, just stopped instantly."

Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue has confirmed the incident took place on the railway "just south of Bedford", instructing travellers to "please avoid the area".

Meanwhile, the British Transport Police confirmed that they were responding to reports of a collision involving two trains in the Bedford area.

Issuing a response to the disaster, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: "I'm deeply concerned to hear reports of the collision involving two EMR 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"

An MP whose constituency sits near where the incident took place, Mohammad Yasin, said that he was "very concerns" following the reports of the crash.

"At this stage, details are still emerging and I would urge people not to speculate about what has happened," he told The Telegraph.

"It is important that the emergency services are able to do their work and that the facts are properly established."

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