Train collision near Bedford disrupts London rail services
Emergency crews were sent to a railway incident south of Bedford after reports that two trains collided, blocking key routes north of London.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
2 min read
Emergency services responded Friday to reports that two trains had collided near Bedford, north of London. The incident prompted a major rail shutdown, with East Midlands Railway saying it could not run trains in or out of London for the rest of the day.
British Transport Police said on X that officers were responding to a reported collision involving two trains in the Bedford area. Bedford is about 56 miles, or 90 kilometres, north of the capital.
The force did not immediately provide details on the cause of the reported crash or confirm whether anyone had been hurt. British media outlets including The Daily Telegraph and TalkTV reported injuries among passengers, but emergency services had not released injury figures.
The East of England Ambulance Service said it had deployed several resources to the railway south of Bedford, including an air ambulance. The service asked members of the public to stay away from the area while crews worked at the scene.
Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service also said its crews were attending an incident on the railway just south of Bedford. The fire service issued a similar warning for people to avoid the area.
Rail services halted
East Midlands Railway said on X that emergency services were dealing with an incident between London St Pancras and Leicester. The operator gave no further details in that post, but later said services to and from London would not operate for the remainder of the day.
Thameslink said all lines between Luton and Bedford were blocked because of a problem that was under investigation. The disruption affected a busy rail corridor linking London with towns and cities to the north.
Unverified video and images posted on social media appeared to show two East Midlands Railway trains involved, with one train having struck another. The images appeared to show passengers standing on the tracks near damaged carriages, and the trains appeared to remain upright on the rails.
Authorities had not confirmed the authenticity of those images or the sequence of events shown in them.
Transport minister Heidi Alexander said on X that she was concerned by the reports of a collision. No further government statement on the incident was immediately detailed.
Train collisions are uncommon in Britain, where serious rail incidents typically draw investigations by transport safety authorities. As of the latest official updates, police, ambulance and fire crews were still dealing with the Bedford-area incident, and rail operators were advising passengers not to use affected routes.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.