Rail expert Philip Haigh told Sky News that the Bedford collision had taken him “completely by surprise” and he was “somewhat mystified as to how it’s happened”.
“We have on the railways here signalling systems that are designed to keep trains apart and prevent this sort of thing happening.”
He said “rail in Britain is incredibly safe, we are one of the safest railways in the world” and crashes like today’s are “exceedingly rare”.
He added: “All efforts will be going into rescuing those casualties and getting them whatever treatment they need.
“The priority must be for the casualties. And then, of course, to rescue those stuck on some of the other trains. With all the lines being closed, there will be trains held wherever they’ve stopped.”
And Haigh said that if the overhead power has been switched off, conditions will be “pretty grim” for passengers in today’s heat.
‘Number of people injured,’ health secretary says
Health Secretary James Murray says he is being kept updated on the collision.
“A number of people have been injured,” he writes on social media.
London-bound services involved in collision
East Midlands Railway service has confirmed the trains that were involved in the collision.
They were:
- 4.40pm Corby to London St Pancras
- 3.50pm Nottingham to London St Pancras
MP speaks to staff and residents outside Bedford station
The MP for North Bedfordshire is outside the station talking to staff and residents.
“My thoughts are with everyone affected by this incident,” he says.
“I have been advised that people should avoid Bedford station as no trains are running from here and anyone wishing to travel either north or south should make their way to Milton Keynes.”
People were ‘crying, screaming’, passenger says
People were “so scared and confused” after the train collision, a witness has said.
Pete Knapp told the Press Association “there was a moment of being flung into the chair in front”.
“I saw smoke, people were crying, screaming,” he said.
“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.”
He said he had not felt the train slow down before the crash, but other passengers told him they had.
He told PA 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 alright.”
Public told to avoid Bedford emergency departments unless they have ‘genuine medical emergency’
Bedford Hospital has said it is supporting the “active incident” after the train crash.
It urges members of the public to avoid attending emergency departments unless they have a “genuine medical emergency”.
“Please use NHS services appropriately,” it adds.
Leave a Reply