TWO passenger trains collided in southern England on June 19, leaving the driver of one train dead and around 100 people injured, some seriously.
The collision happened at 17.12 when a class 360 Siemens Desiro four-car commuter EMU travelling to London ran into the back of a London-bound inter-city service operated by a class 810 Hitachi Aurora bi-mode five-car train near Bedford, around 80km north of the British capital. Both trains were operated by East Midlands Railway (EMR).
The driver of the commuter train died at the scene, while a major incident was declared locally. The cause of the crash has not yet been identified, but investigators from the independent Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) arrived quickly at the scene. They have been collecting evidence before both trains are removed by crane from the railway and transferred by road to a secure facility for further investigation.
British transport secretary, Heidi Alexander, stated that work is being carried out to understand the circumstances of the crash so that “lessons are learned.” RAIB does not expect to comment on the cause of the collision for several more days.
Infrastructure manager Network Rail (NR) issued a statement on June 21 detailing progress with building an access road to the accident site. Catenary will have to be dismantled before the trains can be removed and the line will then be assessed by NR engineers who will determine what repairs are required to the track before the catenary can be reinstated and the line reopened.
This is unlikely to happen before June 29, leaving the Midland Main Line closed between Luton and Bedford. A modified commuter service will run between Luton and London, while limited inter-city services will run between Bedford and Nottingham and Derby/Sheffield.
