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UK Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said she was “deeply concerned” by reports of the collision and was monitoring developments.
Images and videos circulating on social media appeared to show two East Midlands Railway (EMR) trains involved in the incident.
Emergency services launched a major response after two trains reportedly collided near the town of Bedford, north of London, amid reports of injuries and widespread disruption to rail services. British Transport Police (BTP) said officers were responding to reports of a collision involving two trains in the Bedford area, approximately 90 kilometres north of the British capital.
“We’re responding to reports of a collision involving two trains in the Bedford area,” the force said in a post on X, adding that more information would be released as it became available.
Images and videos circulating on social media appeared to show two East Midlands Railway (EMR) trains involved in the incident, with one train seemingly striking another. Passengers could be seen standing on railway tracks beside damaged carriages. The trains appeared to have remained upright following the collision.
EMR confirmed that emergency services were dealing with an incident on the route between London St Pancras and Leicester but did not immediately provide further details.
The East of England Ambulance Service described the situation as a “major incident” and said it had deployed multiple resources, including an air ambulance and its Hazardous Area Response Team, to the railway south of Bedford.
Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service also confirmed that its crews were attending the scene.
While British media outlets including The Daily Telegraph and TalkTV reported that passengers had been injured, authorities had not yet confirmed the number or severity of casualties.
UK Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said she was “deeply concerned” by reports of the collision and was monitoring developments.
The incident caused major disruption to rail travel in the region. Thameslink said all lines between Luton and Bedford had been blocked due to an issue under investigation, warning passengers to expect delays and cancellations.
Train collisions are relatively rare in Britain. In September 2023, several people were injured when two trains collided at Aviemore railway station in the Scottish Highlands on the heritage Strathspey Railway. One of the trains involved was the historic Flying Scotsman steam locomotive.
Britain’s most serious recent rail accident occurred in August 2020, when a passenger train derailed near Stonehaven in northeast Scotland after heavy rainfall triggered a landslip. Three people were killed and six others injured in the crash. Network Rail later pleaded guilty to safety failings linked to the tragedy and was fined £6.7 million.
Authorities are expected to provide further updates as rescue operations continue and investigators work to determine the cause of the Bedford collision.
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