Train driver killed in Bedford crash ‘passed red signal moments before collision’

A train driver killed in the Bedford rail crash passed a danger signal without stopping moments before the collision, investigators have said.

Shaun Burton, 60, was named as the only fatality of the crash that injured around 100 passengers on Friday last week.

His train slammed into another train that had halted due to a fault with its early warning system, the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) believe.

The RAIB’s interim report says that Burton had passed a red signal near the scene of the crash in Elstow, near Bedford.

Investigators said ‘it is not yet possible to say what indication the driver received’ from automatic warning system (AWS) equipment fitted to the train.

The AWS should trigger the train’s emergency brake, unless the driver acknowledges an alert from the system, the RAIB added.

Data suggests the signal behind the stationary train – which had come to a stop ‘unexpectedly’ – was red.

Burton’s train, which started its journey in Corby, passed this red signal, with its brakes activated for about nine seconds before the collision.

The train was travelling at about 76 mph and had reduced to 49 mph when the impact happened.

The RAIB said its full investigation would assess ‘the actions of those involved and any factors that may have influenced them’.

British Transport Police have confirmed that 53 people are still in hospital after the collision, with eight in a critical condition.

What we know about the crash

At least one train carriage derailed in the crash.

All patients with the most serious injuries were taken to hospital, as were some of the 56 people who suffered minor injuries. Others were treated at the scene.

Passenger Dr Pete Knapp said he heard people ‘crying’ and ‘screaming’.

The 40-year-old described the carnage: ‘There was a moment of being flung into the chair in front, and then I saw smoke. People were crying, screaming, and 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 bandages’ and ‘people who couldn’t see straight’.

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

He said he had not felt the train slow down before the crash, but other passengers told him they had.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer described the crash as ‘hugely concerning’ and said he is ‘grateful to the emergency services for their swift response to this tragic incident’.

Online train trackers show the rolling stock involved in the crash were a class 360 and a class 810, with the front of the former hitting the rear of the latter.

EMR began rolling out class 810s in December last year, while class 360s are at least 20 years old.

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

A spokesperson for Network Rail, which manages Britain’s rail infrastructure, said: ‘We are supporting the efforts of emergency services on scene and our thoughts are with everyone involved.’

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