Two passenger trains collide near Bedford

**Paul** · Yesterday, 18:43

Not much in the way of details yet.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cy8dy2pr8ymt

Quote:

British Transport Police is responding to reports of a 'collision involving two trains' in the Bedford area, the force says in a statement on social media.

Quote:

Thameslink reports that all lines are blocked between Luton and Bedford and have been since about 17:30 BST.

**Paul** · Yesterday, 21:20

One person is reported as having died, 89 as injured (11 serious).

Alt Report: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c872jzqw113o

EMR said the 16:40 train from Corby to London St Pancras was involved in a collision with [the] 15:50 Nottingham to London St Pancras service.

Edit: The fatality has been confirmed as one of the train drivers.

thenry · Yesterday, 21:57

I would have got caught up in all the cancellations or delays but I took the northern line to tooting then clapham junction to Crawley. Thankfully our rail network has diversions.

thenry · Today, 13:48

How has this crash hurt so many people. The collision damage doesn't look like it's destroyed the coaches/carriages which means either the build structure is top class or the speed of impact wasn't high. ?

Sephiroth · Today, 14:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by thenry

How has this crash hurt so many people. The collision damage doesn't look like it's destroyed the coaches/carriages which means either the build structure is top class or the speed of impact wasn't high. ?

The laws of physics: Conservation of momentum. The train is bombing along at 100+mph and comes to an abrupt halt. The stuff inside the train doesn't stop.

10 or 12 or 14 stone of forward facing passengers end up nearer to St Pancras than the rest of the carriage they are in.

It's a mercy that there was only one fatality.

thenry · Today, 15:01

I didn't think it was going that fast. At that speed you'd expect the first coaches to go airborne on impact?

Carth · Today, 15:09

Apparently (unconfirmed) one of the trains was stationary (fault? broken down)
If the other had just recently left the station it probably wasn't going top speed . . still fast enough for motion (and inertia) to cause injuries though.

OLD BOY · Today, 15:13

I still can’t make out why the driver of the moving train didn’t apply the brakes. He must have seen the train in front a mile off.

Carth · Today, 15:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by OLD BOY

I still can’t make out why the driver of the moving train didn’t apply the brakes. He must have seen the train in front a mile off.

He possibly did, but with any large moving mass there's a stopping/slowing distance . . although passenger stories I've seen don't mention any deceleration before impact . .

papa smurf · Today, 15:22

well we can't ask him

thenry · Today, 15:27

Quote:

"I go on trains quite often and they don't break between Bedford until you're approaching Luton and he started to gradually break and I thought, oh no," Brett Byatt told our correspondent Barnaby Papadopoulos.

"Then it was the huge impact and then... carnage emerged. It's one of those moments where everything is sort of suspended for a moment."

Then something "just switched" and Byatt went into first aid training mode, helping fellow passengers who were bleeding and had broken limbs.

https://news.sky.com/story/emergency...#liveblog-body

Gradually brake

denphone · Today, 15:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sephiroth

The laws of physics: Conservation of momentum. The train is bombing along at 100+mph and comes to an abrupt halt. The stuff inside the train doesn't stop.

10 or 12 or 14 stone of forward facing passengers end up nearer to St Pancras than the rest of the carriage they are in.

It's a mercy that there was only one fatality.

Terrible that there is one fatality and many injured, some critically ill, if this was 40 years ago the fatalities would have been much much higher.

---------- Post added at 16:39 ---------- Previous post was at 16:35 ----------

Quote:

Originally Posted by OLD BOY

I still can’t make out why the driver of the moving train didn’t apply the brakes. He must have seen the train in front a mile off.

l think we need to just wait for the rail accident investigations branch findings and try not to speculate too much.

thenry · Today, 16:42

It's a discussion forum

SnoopZ · Today, 16:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by thenry

Gradually brake

Do trains have adaptive cruise control like some cars? If not why not!!!

In my car once cruise control is activated it'll slow down by itself and even come to a complete stop if necessary.

Hom3r · Today, 19:25

My sisters colleague would have been on the second train, but managed to get an earlier one