Report of collision Bedford (Elstow) - 19/06/26

[Jaso]

Sky News helicopter just about to arrive.

Live pictures are on sky now

 

[saltywalrus]

Sky news now showing helicopter cam

 

[bramling]

Point of order. You get a main aspect at Bedford south , to cross to the Up fast .

It would be common to experience a single yellow if a train has just passed on the up fast.

 

[810013]

Between coach c-e is derailed as seen on the footage being played on the bbc and helicopter footage via sky

 

[Stampy]

Fast & Slow Lanes according to the BBC "expert" on the news feed posted earlier

Hope all OK who are involved....

 

[baz962]

It would be common to experience a single yellow if a train has just passed on the up fast.

Just edited my post. Always come off Bedford on a single yellow. Yes you would get a single yellow at the next , but it's not very often as the up inter city will be doing 125 and have Usually long gone before the 360 even gets there. Unless the 360 is already at the signal and waiting.

 

[antiperson]

On the sky news feed there's only one 360 unit. Was the service short formed or was the rear unit moved?

 

[Harpo]

It would be common to experience a single yellow if a train has just passed on the up fast.

It would be absolutely normal. If you are sat at a red awaiting a passing train and get the road as soon as a passing train clears the overlap of the next stop signal, you’ll get 1Y. If your route to follow a preceeding train is cleared later, then it’ll be 2Y (in a four aspect area) or G, assuming that aspect can give you 2Y or G for that move.

 

[Trainguy34]

Just saw the sky footage, looks like the 810 might've fully came apart with a gang
way breaking as a coach derailed.

On the sky news feed there's only one 360 unit. Was the service short formed or was the rear unit moved?

There is a 5Z14 in a platform at Bedford, it could be that?

 

[810013]

On the sky news feed there's only one 360 unit. Was the service short formed or was the rear unit moved?

appears to be shortformed https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:C04264/2026-06-19/detailed

 

[Gwr12345]

On the sky news feed there's only one 360 unit. Was the service short formed or was the rear unit moved?

Just one according to RTT

 

[CR165022]

There was a VST move from STP to Cricklewood right after 360115 left heading to Corby earlier, suggesting the other unit split off for the depot

 

[800001]

Just saw the sky footage, looks like the 810 might've fully came apart with a gang
way breaking as a coach derailed.

crumple zone working In way it is intended

 

[HC1998]

Awful this. Heard the interview with the man in shock on the BBC who didn’t realise he’d probably been quite badly hurt. Reminds me of the old days of RailTrack when accidents like this were all too common.

My biggest fear is about CrossCountry trains. A huge accident waiting to happen if a packed voyager crashed. I’ve been on ones where you can’t even raise your arms.

Hope all involved is ok

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 19 Jun 2026 ==

There was a VST move from STP to Cricklewood right after 360115 left heading to Corby earlier, suggesting the other unit split off for the depot

How did you find out?

 

[Trainguy34]

There was a VST move from STP to Cricklewood right after 360115 left heading to Corby earlier, suggesting the other unit split off for the depot

I saw that, that would been lucky if correct. If not it might be on 5Z14 as the train to Corby was showing as 114+115.

EDIT: (Now privated) logs suggest that it was just 360115.

 

[Flying_Turtle]

Signal Maps perspective of the area

 

[bengley]

Awful this. Heard the interview with the man in shock on the BBC who didn’t realise he’d probably been quite badly hurt. Reminds me of the old days of RailTrack when accidents like this were all too common.

My biggest fear is about CrossCountry trains. A huge accident waiting to happen if a packed voyager crashed. I’ve been on ones where you can’t even raise your arms.

Hope all involved is ok

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 19 Jun 2026 ==


How did you find out?

I think it's been discussed before that you are generally safer in a collision on a packed train than an empty one.

 

[w0033944]

Ages since I’ve posted here. Here’s hoping injury, and possible fatality is as low as possible. Let’s reflect on the advances of train build; imagine this was in the MK1 days.

Or the days of gas lighting.

 

[Morgsie]

I was watching BBC News earlier, particluar the 6pm and just before Regional News the story broke.
Thoughts are with all those caught up in this and hope there are no fatalities and/or serious injuries.
Since the RAIB are involved and investigating then best wait til there Reports as to what caused this etc.

Is there any mental health support including counselling offered after these kinds of incidents?

 

[JamesT]

Awful this. Heard the interview with the man in shock on the BBC who didn’t realise he’d probably been quite badly hurt. Reminds me of the old days of RailTrack when accidents like this were all too common.

My biggest fear is about CrossCountry trains. A huge accident waiting to happen if a packed voyager crashed. I’ve been on ones where you can’t even raise your arms.

Isn’t it often considered safer for there to be a crash on a packed train? As there’s less distance for passengers to go flying when it suddenly stops?

Voyagers have big crumple zones and no passengers at the ends thanks to the rules around high speed trains at the time they were built. They should perform well in this type of collision.

 

[rd749249]

I hope the driver is ok. I hope anyone who may have been in that back cab are ok.

 

[Dolive22]

Awful this. Heard the interview with the man in shock on the BBC who didn’t realise he’d probably been quite badly hurt. Reminds me of the old days of RailTrack when accidents like this were all too common.

My biggest fear is about CrossCountry trains. A huge accident waiting to happen if a packed voyager crashed. I’ve been on ones where you can’t even raise your arms.

I think I have heard of cases where overcrowding reduced injuries. You can't go flying and hit things if you're jammed in. Take with a shovel or two of salt - I'm rusty and was always only an amateur when it comes to rail safety.

 

[Steve Harris]

Looks to be heading for Addenbrooke's, Cambridge.

That's very likely as Addenbrookes is the designated trauma center for East Anglia.

 

[185143]

Awful this. Heard the interview with the man in shock on the BBC who didn’t realise he’d probably been quite badly hurt. Reminds me of the old days of RailTrack when accidents like this were all too common.

My biggest fear is about CrossCountry trains. A huge accident waiting to happen if a packed voyager crashed. I’ve been on ones where you can’t even raise your arms.

Hope all involved is ok

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 19 Jun 2026 ==


How did you find out?

Indeed. I spent a journey from Bristol to Exeter once wedged against my case, with a visually impaired passenger with a guide dog practically clinging onto my arm for dear life.

I was on another that was so wedged I couldn't physically reach into my backpack which was on top of my feet.

 

[Trainguy34]

Just heard on Sky News that "[the line] will be closed for the foreseeable future", how foreseeable is a piece of string currently so I'd take it with a pinch of salt.

 

[Larcombius]

That's very likely as Addenbrookes is the designated trauma center for East Anglia

Saw one air ambulance go overhead and land 5 mins or so ago. The second is now waiting for the helicopter landing pad to clear. First time I've ever seen congestion in the air for the air ambulances here, just showing how serious it has been

 

[Dave W]

Sky reporting a social media post from a doctor (pinch of salt) saying he was in the front of "the EMT train" - perhaps not realising they both are - and has some injuries, but others "not good" - presumably he was thus in the rear, if verifiable.

Would the helicopters deal with the residual injured if all serious injuries dealt with, or would they go and do something else?

 

[A S Leib]

Your ticket will be accepted on the below, at no extra cost:

Alternative Gatwick Express, Great Northern and Thameslink services towards your destination
Greater Anglia services between London Liverpool Street and Cambridge
London Northwestern Railway services between London Euston and St Albans Abbey, between London Euston and Milton Keynes Central
Southeastern services between London and Rainham, and between London and Orpington / Sevenoaks
South Western Railway services between London Waterloo and Wimbledon
London Underground services between London Terminals
London Trams between Beckenham Junction, East Croydon, Mitcham Junction, and Wimbledon
London Buses between central London, East Croydon, and Purley, and between central London, Streatham, and Sutton

From the Thameslink website, with a reference to a heavily disrupted train between Hitchin and Cambridge presumably being the reason why Greater Anglia's included.

 

[Trainguy34]

Sky reporting a social media post from a doctor (pinch of salt) saying he was in the front of "the EMT train" - perhaps not realising they both are - and has some injuries, but others "not good" - presumably he was thus in the rear, if verifiable.

Would the helicopters deal with the residual injured if all serious injuries dealt with, or would they go and do something else?

Agreed, the fact he felt "a sudden stop" would suggest to me that it is the rear train (360115) as the front one would've already been stopped.

 

[CR165022]

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 19 Jun 2026 ==


How did you find out?

It's right there on RTT

Realtime Trains | 5Z39 1520 St Pancras International to Cricklewood A To E Sidings | 19/06/2026

Real-time train running information for 5Z39 1520 departure from St Pancras International to Cricklewood A To E Sidings on 19/06/2026. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk