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Red Signal Before Crash
A collision between two passenger trains near Elstow, Bedfordshire, killed the driver of the rear train and injured 162 people, with 53 remaining in hospital and 8 in a critical condition, according to GOV.UK’s account of the accident.
“162 people were injured, 102 of whom required hospital treatment.”
GOV.UK said the collision occurred at around 17:15 on Friday 19 June 2026 on Network Rail’s Midland Main Line approximately 2.5 miles (4 km) south of Bedford station, when train 1H46 collided with train 1B67, both operated by East Midlands Railway.
In preliminary findings, the Rail Accident Investigation Branch said onboard CCTV showed an automatic signal on the line “was displaying a red aspect” as the moving train “approached and then passed it,” and that the brake was activated “around 9 seconds before the collision” while travelling at approximately 76 miles (122 km) per hour.
CNA reported that the red signal should have triggered an “audible and visual warning” in the driver’s cabin, with the automatic warning system designed to sound a claxon onboard when a train approaches a signal that is not green.
Investigators, Union, and Officials
The RAIB said it was “not yet possible to say what indication the driver received” from the automatic warning system (AWS) equipment fitted to the train, while the BBC reported that the interim report placed the red-signal passage near Elstow at 17:15 BST on Friday.
ITV News Anglia said the interim RAIB report found the train passed a red signal moments before the collision, adding that brakes were applied on Mr Burton’s train nine seconds before impact.
British Transport Police told AFP that “40 remain in hospital, with four of those still in a critical condition,” while CNA identified the driver killed as 60-year-old Shaun Burton.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said on X that “there is still much to establish,” and the train drivers’ union ASLEF’s general secretary Dave Calfe said on X that “it was important to understand how and why” the driver passed a red signal.
Safety Systems and Next Steps
GOV.UK said RAIB’s preliminary examination found train 1B67 was standing next to WH152 signal when the accident occurred, and that it had come to a stop unexpectedly because a fault had developed with the Automatic Warning System (AWS) equipment fitted to it, which caused the brakes to apply.
“the brakes to apply.”
The Guardian reported that investigators believe the collision occurred after the driver passed a danger signal without stopping, while the stopped train halted unexpectedly due to a fault with its AWS equipment causing the brakes to apply.
Dave Calfe, general secretary of Aslef, said: “What will concern passengers, and what concerns us, is that there are safety systems that can be put in place to prevent such accidents happening and the network should have been able to cope.”
Heidi Alexander told the House of Commons that the government would “leave no stone unturned to understand what happened,” as the BBC said the RAIB’s full investigation would consider “the actions of those involved and any factors that may have influenced them.”
