On October 24, the British Transport Police announced they were responding to a collision between two trains near the town of Bedford, approximately 90 kilometers north of London. Local media reported the incident caused multiple injuries, but rescue services have not released further details.
On social media platform X, the British Transport Police confirmed: “We are responding to reports of a train collision in the Bedford area.” The force added that emergency staff were at the scene.
Unverified videos posted on social media showed two East Midlands Railway (EMR) trains colliding, with one train crashing into the rear of the other. Passengers were seen standing on the tracks beside damaged carriages. The carriages remained upright on the rails, according to the images.
EMR posted on X: “Emergency services are dealing with an incident between London St Pancras and Leicester stations,” without providing additional details. The Daily Telegraph and TalkTV were among British media outlets reporting that passengers were injured.
East of England Ambulance Service said it had dispatched multiple resources, including an air ambulance, to the scene of the rail collision south of Bedford, and urged the public to avoid the area. Bedfordshire Police and Fire Service also confirmed rescue crews were at the scene.
Heidi Alexander, UK Transport Secretary, expressed on X that she was “extremely concerned” by reports of the collision. EMR announced it could not operate any trains to or from London for the rest of the day, while Thameslink reported that all lines between Luton and Bedford were blocked due to an incident under investigation.
Train collisions are relatively rare events in the United Kingdom.
