The train whose driver died in the Bedford rail crash passed a danger signal without stopping – while the train it hit had halted on the line because a fault in its warning system had caused it to brake, investigators believe.
An initial report by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) into the crash, which also injured more than 100 people, said it was not yet clear whether the train’s automatic warning system (AWS) had alerted the driver of the southbound Luton airport express from Corby that he had passed a red signal.
Unless the driver acknowledges an alert from the AWS, it should automatically trigger the train’s emergency brake, the RAIB said.
CCTV evidence from Bedford station showed the train leaving the platform and passing a yellow caution light – a signal that tells the driver to be prepared to stop at a red signal ahead. More CCTV footage showed it passing the red light, while data from a black box showed it braked nine seconds before impact.
The train’s speed reduced from 76mph to 49mph before it collided with a stationary Nottingham-London train on the same track a couple of miles outside Bedford station at Elstow.
Investigators said the stopped train had halted unexpectedly because a fault had developed with the AWS equipment fitted to it, which caused the brakes to apply.
The collision between the two East Midlands Railway (EMR) trains occurred at 5.15pm last Friday. The stopped train from Nottingham was a new Aurora class 810 model built by Hitachi, brought into service within the past six months on EMR.
The driver who was killed was 60-year-old Shaun Burton. He was described by EMR as a “dedicated railway professional” who had “touched the lives of colleagues and passengers alike”.
Eight of the 102 seriously injured passengers remained in critical condition, with 53 in total still in hospital, the RAIB said.
Investigations continue but it appears that another train protection and warning system (TPWS), widely used on the railway system and designed to automatically stop trains if they pass a red signal, was not installed on this stretch of the Midland mainline.
Dave Calfe, the general secretary of the train drivers’ union 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.”
He said the union would wait for the full investigation to understand what had gone wrong, but added: “If TPWS had been installed, this accident would not have happened, the driver would not have died, and no passengers would have been injured.”
The transport secretary, Heidi Alexander, said the government would “leave no stone unturned to understand what happened”, adding: “The RAIB will publish their full report in due course and I will consider those findings with the utmost care and take any action necessary.”
Will Rogers, the managing director of EMR, said: “Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences remain with those affected. Given the complexity of the issues being examined, it is important that the independent investigation is allowed to reach its conclusions.”
Ellie Burrows, the managing director of Network Rail’s eastern region, said: “Incidents like this are extremely rare on Britain’s railways which remain among the safest in the world but, when they do happen, we are determined to fully understand why.”
She pledged to “carefully consider any findings” as they emerged, “acting quickly on any lessons and sharing learning across the industry”.
Disruption on the line is expected to continue through the week while engineers continue work to access the crash site, remove the damaged trains and complete any necessary repairs to the track.
The crash was the fourth involving passenger trains on the UK railway since 2020, after more than a decade without any similar serious incident.
The RAIB said it would continue to analyse evidence relating to the sequence of events and the performance of the signalling system, including the actions of those involved and the status and performance of the braking, AWS and other safety systems on the Corby train, and why the first train had stopped.
