Driver dead in horror crash between two rush hour trains - with 89 others injured by collision

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British Transport Police have declared a major incident, with one confirmed death and several serious injuries.

East of England Ambulance Service later confirmed that 11 people were very seriously injured by the crash, 22 others were seriously injured, and 56 more were left with minor injuries.

The BTP's Deputy Chief Constable Stuart Cundy 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 provided further information as soon as we are able to".

The fatality is understood to have been the driver of one of the two trains, according to local MP Mohammed Yasin.

When asked about the death, the Labour MP told a broadcaster: "It's terrible news, and my thoughts are with the family of the driver. My deepest condolences to their family. And I'm very concerned that we don't know how many numbers of the people injured and seriously injured.

"I've been to hospital. I met some families. I met acting chief exec of Bedfordshire Hospitals as well. And I thank them for all the work the emergency services and hospital are doing to help those who are affected."

Over 30 emergency service vehicles and an air ambulance responded following the crash. That includes at least five air ambulances which arrived and then left.

Firefighters are also at the scene, and the service has urged people to avoid the area.

Bedford hospital is reportedly expecting at least 50 casualties to arrive and had ordered “all hands on deck”.

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The collision reportedly involved the 3.50pm service from Nottingham to St Pancras International and the 4.40pm Corby to St Pancras. The train heading to Corby appears to have struck the back of the Nottingham train.

The incident has sparked travel chaos with trains at Luton station delayed and cancelled.

Transport secretary Heidi Alexander told LBC the lines would be suspended "for a minimum of 24 hours".

East Midlands Railway has confirmed that services to and from London St Pancras are suspended for the rest of the day as emergency services respond to the scene.

The railway provider wrote on X: Train[s] are unable to run between London St Pancras and Leicester due to emergency service dealing with an incident."

Rail provider Thameslink also said services between Bedford and Luton were cancelled and told customers to amend their plans.

Footage from the scene shows what appear to be two East Midlands trains that collided. Footage online appears to show dazed passengers stranded as emergency services respond to the scene.

A passenger wrote on Bluesky that the front of the train was fine, but the third carriage came "off the rails".

They added: "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."

Another passenger wrote in a Reddit forum: "I was on the front intercity, we slowed to a stop fairly rapidly. While stopped the connect train went into the back of us. Quite a lot of injuries, but a lot of us walking off the train with only bruises".

Passenger Pete Knapp described people “crying, screaming” and said some seemed to have major injuries.

The 40-year-old told the Press Association: “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.

“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.”

Dr Knapp said he saw people with “life-threatening, major injuries, minor injuries” as well as “people with bandages, people who couldn’t see straight”, while others like him were still able to walk.

He said: “I’ve got blood all over my trousers and my back hurts like hell but I’m all right.”

Rail journalist Tony Miles said the crash appears to have been a “relatively slow speed collision”.

He told Sky News: “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.”

He added: “Even if you’re going 40 miles an hour and you come to a halt in a few metres, 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.”

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer wrote on X: 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 told LBC she was "deeply concerned" by news of the collision and said there would be a "thorough investigation" to establish how it happened and ensure that "lessons are learned."

"The UK railways are some of the safest railways in the world, and you're right to say that actually it's very unusual for an incident like this to happen on the network," told LBC.

"We know there were two trains that collided, an East Midlands Railway service running from Nottingham to St Pancras and one running from Corby to St Pancras.

"It is too early to speculate and that's why it's so important that the inspectors from the Rail Accident Investigation Branch were there very quickly and they will do a thorough piece of work to establish the cause of this incident".

She added: "East Midlands Railways did make sure that those who weren't injured onward provision was made for them to complete their journeys.

"And I know that the staff both at East Midlands Railways and also at Thameslink have been on hand at stations to make sure that people who are inconvenienced by this disruption are actually helped to be able to continue their journey.

"The lines will be closed for a minimum of 24 hours, and people who are wanting to travel on the Midlands Main Line tomorrow should be checking before they travel, checking in with their rail operator."

The Mayor of Bedford has described the collision as a distressing situation for many people across our community”.

In a statement on Facebook, Tom Wootton shared: “I am deeply concerned by reports of the train collision near Bedford this evening.

“My thoughts are first and foremost with everyone involved, particularly those who have been injured, their families and loved ones. I would also like to thank the emergency services, NHS staff, railway personnel and all those responding to this incident for their swift and professional actions under very difficult circumstances.

“I am in contact with relevant agencies and receiving updates as the situation develops. Bedford Borough Council stands ready to provide whatever support may be required as emergency responders continue their work.

“This is clearly a distressing situation for many people across our community. At this stage, it is important that we allow the emergency services and railway authorities the space they need to deal with the incident and establish the full facts.

“Bedford is a strong community, and when difficult events occur, we come together to support one another. We will continue to work closely with our partners and will do all we can to assist those affected. I will share further information when it becomes available through the appropriate official channels.”