London St Pancras services remain severely disrupted after a train collision near Bedford in which one person has died.
Emergency services are responding to the incident, which happened in the Bedford area this evening.
British Transport Police confirmed officers were responding to reports of a collision involving two trains, while Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service also confirmed crews were at the scene.
The collision has affected services on the Midland Main Line, with East Midlands Railway services to and from London St Pancras severely disrupted.
National Rail has warned of disruption between London St Pancras International and Leicester, while Thameslink services between Bedford and Luton have also been affected.
East Midlands Railway passengers have been advised to check before travelling, with services unable to run normally while emergency services deal with the incident.
Images shared online appear to show damage to trains involved in the collision, although the full circumstances have not yet been confirmed.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said she was deeply concerned to hear reports of the collision involving two EMR passenger trains.
She said emergency services were on the scene and officials were working with the rail industry and local partners to support passengers.
The incident has caused major disruption for passengers travelling towards London, with London St Pancras services expected to remain affected while the emergency response continues.
Passengers travelling to or from London St Pancras, Bedford, Luton, Leicester, Nottingham, Corby and other stations on the affected route are being urged to check live travel updates before setting off.
The disruption may also affect passengers making onward journeys across London, including those connecting with Thameslink, London Underground and other National Rail services.
Latest updates
20m ago
21:40
Driver killed in Bedford train crash named as Shaun Burton
British Transport Police has named the train driver who died following the collision near Bedford as Shaun Burton.
Mr Burton was 60 years old.
His family paid tribute to him, saying they were devastated by his loss and that their thoughts were also with everyone affected by the incident.
The family has asked for privacy and requested that the photograph released by police is respected as they begin to come to terms with the loss.
British Transport Police said its thoughts remain with Mr Burton’s family and colleagues at East Midlands Railway.
Source: British Transport Police
Just now
02:31
We are pausing our live updates
We are pausing our live updates on the Bedford train crash for now.
Emergency services have confirmed that one person has died and 99 people were injured following the collision involving two East Midlands Railway services.
British Transport Police said nine people remain in a critical condition, while the cause of the crash remains under investigation.
Rail disruption has continued on routes serving London St Pancras, Bedford, Luton, Leicester, Nottingham and Corby.
Further updates will be added if there are major developments from emergency services, British Transport Police, Network Rail or train operators.
Source: London Bus Forums News
Just now
21:12
Mayor calls for full investigation into Bedford train crash
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said his thoughts were with everyone affected by the Bedford train crash, in which a train driver died and passengers were injured.
He said he was grateful to the emergency services and transport staff who responded.
Mr Khan added that there must be a full investigation, with reporting as soon as possible.
Source: Mayor of London / X
Just now
15:53
Nine people remain in critical condition
British Transport Police said more than 80 people were treated in hospital after the collision, with 28 people remaining in hospital and nine in a critical condition.
The crash involved two London-bound East Midlands Railway services near Bedford on Friday evening.
Source: British Transport Police
17h ago
22:25
Ambulance service confirms injury figures
East of England Ambulance Service said one person died at the scene, 11 people suffered very serious injuries, 22 were seriously injured and 56 people had minor injuries.
The ambulance service said all patients with the most serious injuries have now been taken from the scene to hospital.
It also said more than 20 ambulances, specialist Hazardous Area Response Teams and six air ambulances were sent to the scene.
Source: East of England Ambulance Service
18h ago
21:15
Trains involved confirmed
East Midlands Railway has confirmed the trains involved were the 16:40 Corby to London St Pancras service and the 15:50 Nottingham to London St Pancras service.
Source: East Midlands Railway (EMR)
18h ago
21:00
One person confirmed dead
British Transport Police confirmed that one person had died following the collision between two trains on the line in Bedford.
A major incident was declared, with officers continuing to respond at the scene alongside Bedfordshire Police, the local fire and rescue service and ambulance services.
Deputy Chief Constable Stuart Cundy said a significant emergency service response was ongoing and that officers were working at pace to establish exactly what happened.
Source: British Transport Police
23h ago
18:10
Passenger shares footage from front carriage
A passenger who said he was in the front carriage shared footage appearing to show damage to one of the trains involved in the Bedford collision.
The video was posted by Dr Pete Knapp, who wrote that he had been in the front carriage.
I was in the front carriage
— Dr Pete Knapp (@peteknapp.bsky.social) 2026-06-19T17:07:10.174Z
The footage appears to show damage between two East Midlands Railway train carriages, although the full circumstances of the collision remain under investigation.
Source: Dr Pete Knapp / Bluesky
Travel update: TfL buses are accepting rail ticket holders on behalf of Great Northern, Southern, Thameslink and Gatwick Express services, including some Sutton and Purley routes into central London.
Anyone planning to travel this evening should check with National Rail, East Midlands Railway or Thameslink before starting their journey.
