STORY
The Rail Accident Investigation Branch has opened an investigation into a collision between two passenger trains near Elstow in Bedfordshire, in which one driver died and 162 people were injured.
The collision happened at around 17:15 on Friday 19 June 2026 on Network Rail’s Midland Main Line, about 2.5 miles south of Bedford station. It involved the 16:40 East Midlands Railway service from Corby to London St Pancras and the 15:50 East Midlands Railway service from Nottingham to London St Pancras. RAIB said 102 people required hospital treatment, with 53 people remaining in hospital at the time of its update, eight of them in a critical condition. Both trains were significantly damaged and partially derailed.
RAIB said its preliminary examination found that the Nottingham to London St Pancras train had stopped unexpectedly next to signal WH152 after a fault developed with its Automatic Warning System equipment, causing the brakes to apply. Railway system data showed the relevant track circuit as occupied, which should have caused the signal behind the train, WH154, to show a red danger aspect to protect it from other movements.
The Corby to London St Pancras train had left Bedford station at 17:10 and crossed from the Up Slow line to the Up Fast line at Bedford South Junction. Forward-facing CCTV showed that it passed signal WH154 while it was displaying a red aspect. RAIB said analysis of one on-train data recorder showed a brake activation around nine seconds before the collision, when the train was travelling at about 76 mph, and that preliminary data indicated a speed of around 49 mph at the point of impact.
The investigation will examine the sequence of events leading to the accident, the actions of those involved, the performance of braking and warning systems, the reason the Nottingham service stopped, the status and visibility of signal WH154 and its associated equipment, the crashworthiness of both trains, the emergency response and any relevant underlying factors. RAIB said its investigation is independent of those being carried out by the railway industry, British Transport Police and the Office of Rail and Road.