2026 Bedford train collision

2026 Bedford train collision
1
2
Trains involved in the collision (looking northwards):
1
Service 1B67 from Nottingham
2
Service 1H46 from Corby
Approximate location of collision (map data)
Details
Date19 June 2026 (2026-06-19)
c. 17:15 BST
LocationElstow, Bedfordshire, England
Coordinates52°06′00″N 0°28′52″W / 52.10000°N 0.48111°W / 52.10000; -0.48111
LineMidland Main Line
OperatorEast Midlands Railway
Incident typeRear-end collision
CauseUnder investigation
Statistics
Trains2
Vehicles
Deaths1
Injured162[1] (including 8 critical, 2 very serious, 32 serious, 57 minor)[2][3]
2026 Bedford train collision
Midland Main Line
(Network Rail)
train 1B67 from Nottingham
(operator EMR)
train 1H46 from Corby
(operator EMR)
Up Fast + Up Slow
(to London)
Down Fast + Down Slow
(from London)
Bedford North
(junction)
train 1H46 from Corby
(via Platform 1)
 Bedford station
(Platforms 4‒1)
Signal
(showing caution)
River Great Ouse
Signal
(showing caution)
Bedford South
(junction)
A421 road
Signal WH154
(passed at danger)
 site of collision
(opposite sidings)
stopped train 1B67
(from Nottingham)
Signal WH152
↳ 47 miles 29 chains
(76.2 km to London)

The 2026 Bedford train collision occurred on 19 June 2026, when two East Midlands Railway trains collided on the Midland Main Line south of Elstow, near Bedford, England. One train driver was killed and over 160 people injured. An initial examination stated that the collision occurred after one train stopped on the line unexpectedly due to an Automatic Warning System fault causing it to brake. It was then hit from behind by the second train that had passed a red stop signal protecting the stationary train in front.

Collision

Two southbound passenger trains operated by East Midlands Railway collided at Elstow, south of Bedford, at around 17:15 on 19 June 2026.[2][4] The first train to stop on the line was the 15:50 Nottingham to London St Pancras service 1B67, a five-car Class 810 Aurora unit; the second train was the 16:40 Corby to St Pancras service 1H46, operated by a four-car Class 360 Desiro unit.[5][2][6]

Casualties and emergency response

The driver of the Corby train was pronounced dead at the scene.[7][8] One hundred and sixty-two people were injured,[1] of whom 102 needed hospital treatment.[9] Eleven people sustained very serious injuries, 32 were seriously injured, and 57 received minor injuries, some of whom were treated at the scene.[3][2] Six or seven air ambulances were sent to the incident, along with more than 20 road ambulances[10][11] and emergency response volunteers from the Salvation Army.[12][13] More than 70 firefighters and officers attended the scene.[14] The train manager on the Corby train, who was also injured in the crash, was praised by passengers, and by the regional organiser of the RMT, for requesting the closure of the line on the radio and carrying out emergency actions.[15]

One of the injured passengers on the front train from Nottingham was BBC Radio London presenter JoAnne Good, who was treated in hospital for fractured facial bones.[16][17]

By 22 June, a total of 53 people remained in hospital, with eight in a critical condition.[18] By 26 June, 36 people remained in hospital, with three of them in a critical condition.[19] By 7 July, no patients were in a critical condition.[9]

Aftermath

Unit 810015, pictured in 2026
Unit 360115, pictured in 2025

Train services between London St Pancras and Nottingham, Derby and Leicester were disrupted, and passengers were advised not to travel on those routes for the remainder of the day.[20] Greater Thameslink Railway suspended services between Bedford and Luton.[4]

There were planned engineering works taking place on the weekends of 20–21 June and 27–28 June between Bedford and London St Pancras, meaning the line was to be closed anyway. However, due to the collision, train services on the line were suspended between Luton and Bedford from 19 June until 28 June at the earliest.[4][21]

Recovery of the carriages of the trains involved started on 21 June.[21] A temporary access road was built, and the overhead lines were temporarily removed.[22] Two 110-tonne Kirov rail cranes were used to transport the vehicles to a position where a road crane could load them onto low loaders for transport from the site by road. Unit 360115 was taken to Litchurch Lane, Derby.[23] In addition, 600 metres (660 yd) of track required replacing.[15] Ellie Burrows, Network Rail Eastern regional managing director described the operation as "complex and challenging".[15][21]

On 26 June, Network Rail announced that recovery and repair work on the site of the accident had been completed, with services to resume on 29 June.[24]

On 2 July, Rail Minister Peter Hendy met workers and volunteers involved in the aftermath at the Bedford Borough Council offices, to thank them for their efforts following the crash.[13]

In July, the RMT trade union announced a series of strikes on the first three Saturdays in August over safety concerns with the Class 810 trains. The RMT said the dispute began in April, prior to the collision. The union called for the trains to be withdrawn from service until faults had been fixed.[25]

Investigation

Both the British Transport Police and Bedfordshire Police attended the scene of the collision as part of the emergency response, with inspectors from the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) and the Office of Rail and Road arriving shortly afterwards.[6][26] Whilst a full RAIB investigation into the accident remains underway,[2][18] a preliminary report was published on 24 June.[1]

Preliminary report

In its preliminary report released on 24 June 2026, the RAIB identified the likely contributing factors. Due to a fault with its onboard Automatic Warning System (AWS) equipment, which caused the emergency brake to apply, the Nottingham service had stopped unexpectedly on the up fast line where it was struck from the rear by the Corby service. The report stated that the Corby service passed a signal at danger (SPAD), which was protecting the Nottingham service. The Corby service had just crossed over to the up fast line as scheduled after stopping at Bedford, and had passed two signals, each displaying a single yellow caution signal ("which signifies that the driver can pass the signal but should be prepared to stop at a red signal ahead").[1] It was travelling at approximately 76 miles per hour (122 km/h) when a brake activation was made, nine seconds before it collided with the train in front. At impact it was travelling at around 49 miles per hour (79 km/h).[1]

Significant damage was caused to both trains, which also partially derailed.[1]

The full investigation will consider:[1]

  • the actions of those involved and any factors that may have influenced them
  • the status and performance of the braking, AWS and other safety systems on train 1H46
  • the reason train 1B67 stopped
  • the status of signal WH154 and its AWS equipment, as well as its positioning, visibility, and conspicuity
  • the crashworthiness performance of both trains during the collision
  • the emergency response to the accident
  • the processes used to assess the risk of overrun at this location, and the effectiveness of any control measures intended to address this
  • any relevant underlying factors, including any actions taken in response to previous relevant safety recommendations.

Inquest

On 14 July 2026 an inquest into the death of the train driver was opened, and following the reading of a short statement, adjourned pending completion of the other investigations. A pathologist informed the inquest that the driver had received "traumatic injuries to the brainstem and chest".[27]

See also

Other accidents caused by SPADs with significant overrun after driver missed or misinterpreted a signal on AWS-fitted lines:

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 This article contains OGL licensed text This article incorporates text published under the British Open Government Licence: "Collision between two passenger trains near Elstow". Gov.uk. Rail Accident Investigation Branch. 24 June 2026. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Spivey, Matt, ed. (20 June 2026). "Nine people in critical condition among 100 injured in fatal Bedford train crash". BBC News. Archived from the original on 19 June 2026. Retrieved 20 June 2026.
  3. 1 2 "Update on casualty numbers following major incident – Bedford". British Transport Police. 22 June 2026. Retrieved 23 June 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 Sales, Dan (19 June 2026). "What we know about Bedford train crash that left driver dead and hurt dozens". BBC News. Retrieved 19 June 2026.
  5. ↑ Mewawalla, Tara (20 June 2026). Spivey, Matt (ed.). "The events leading up to the crash". BBC News. Retrieved 21 June 2026. service from Corby is 360 115, while the train from Nottingham is the 810 015
  6. 1 2 Ho, Vivian; Badshah, Nadeem (19 June 2026). "Train driver dies and 89 people injured after two trains collide near Bedford". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 June 2026.
  7. ↑ Fullbrook, Danny (21 June 2026). "Tributes to driver killed in Bedford train crash". BBC News. Archived from the original on 21 June 2026. Retrieved 22 June 2026.
  8. ↑ "EMR Press statement: Sunday 21 June, 2026". East Midlands Railway (Press release). 21 June 2026. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  9. 1 2 "All Bedford train crash passengers no longer in critical care". ITV News. 7 July 2026. Retrieved 7 July 2026.
  10. ↑ "Statement on Bedford Train Crash". East of England Ambulance Service (Press release). 19 June 2026. Archived from the original on 19 June 2026. Retrieved 20 June 2026. more than 20 ambulances, specialist Hazardous Area Response Teams, and six air ambulances.
  11. ↑ Pope, Alex (23 June 2026). "'Spectacularly quick' train crash response saved lives". BBC News. Retrieved 24 June 2026. The Magpas unit was the first air ambulance at the scene and seven helicopters attended from across the country.
  12. ↑ "Salvation Army praised for aid efforts in deadly Bedford train crash". Christian Today. 1 July 2026. Retrieved 5 July 2026.
  13. 1 2 Smith, Roger (4 July 2026). "Rail Minister thanks those who helped after the Bedford train crash". Network. Rail Advent. Retrieved 5 July 2026. The Rail Minister, Lord Hendy, visited Bedford on Thursday, 2nd July … spoke with Councillors and representatives from British Transport Police, the Salvation Army, East Midlands Railway, Greater Thameslink Railway (GTR), the Office for Rail and Road (ORR), the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB), Trades Unions, and Network Rail and its contractors.
  14. ↑ Lavelle, Daniel (20 June 2026). "Nine people in critical condition after Bedford train crash kills driver". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  15. 1 2 3 Pope, Alex; McMenemy, Rachael (22 June 2026). "Injured ticket inspector 'a hero' in fatal Bedford train crash". BBC News. Archived from the original on 22 June 2026. Retrieved 22 June 2026.
  16. ↑ "BBC presenter back on air after train crash injury". BBC News. 4 July 2026. Retrieved 4 July 2026. Jo Good has returned to her show two weeks after suffering four fractures to her face … had been travelling back from an event in Market Harborough to London St Pancras when her carriage was hit from behind
  17. ↑ Lawler, Danielle (2 July 2026). "'I walked off that train and not everybody did': Jo Good's emotional message after surviving Bedford train crash". Hello!. Retrieved 5 July 2026.
  18. 1 2 Symonds, Tom; Chaudhari, Shivani (22 June 2026). "Eight in critical condition after train crash". BBC News. Archived from the original on 22 June 2026. Retrieved 23 June 2026.
  19. ↑ "Update on Bedfordshire train collision – Bedford". British Transport Police. 26 June 2026. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
  20. ↑ Hunt, Dan; Watson, Greig (19 June 2026). "Disruption warning after person dies in train crash". BBC News. Retrieved 20 June 2026.
  21. 1 2 3 Ahmed, Shariqua; Browing, Simon (21 June 2026). "Bedford train crash disruption to last a week". BBC News. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  22. ↑ "Aerial footage captures train removal from Bedford crash site". BBC News. 23 June 2026. Retrieved 23 June 2026.
  23. ↑ Clinnick, Richard (8–22 July 2026). "Train Passed red signal before hitting unit ahead". Rail (1065). Peterborough: Bauer Media: 6–7. ISSN 0953-4563.
  24. ↑ "Bedford train collision – passenger services to resume on Monday 29 June as recovery work completed". Network Rail Media Centre. 26 June 2026. Retrieved 26 June 2026.
  25. ↑ Austin, Katy; Hunt, Dan (21 July 2026). "Union plans East Midlands Railway strikes over train safety concerns". BBC News. Retrieved 25 July 2026.
  26. ↑ Stubbings, David (20 June 2026). "Nine remain in critical condition after Bedford collision". Rail. Archived from the original on 20 June 2026. Retrieved 20 June 2026.
  27. ↑ Stubbings, David (14 July 2026). "Driver died from "traumatic injuries" sustained in Bedford collision". Rail magazine. Retrieved 14 July 2026.
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