Train driver killed in Bedford crash ‘passed red signal moments before collision’

A train driver killed in the Bedford rail crash passed a red signal without stopping moments before the collision, investigators have said.

A train driver killed in the Bedford rail crash passed a red signal without stopping moments before the collision, investigators have said.

Shaun Burton, 60, was named as the only fatality of the crash that injured around 100 passengers on Friday last week.

His train slammed into another, which had halted due to a fault with its early warning system, the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) believe.

The RAIB’s interim report says that Burton had passed a red signal near the scene of the crash in Elstow, near Bedford.

Investigators said ‘it is not yet possible to say what indication the driver received’ from the automatic warning system (AWS) equipment fitted to the train.

The AWS should trigger the train’s emergency brake unless the driver acknowledges an alert from the system, the RAIB added.

Data suggests the signal behind the stationary train – which had come to a stop ‘unexpectedly’ – was red.

Burton’s train, which started its journey in Corby, passed this red signal, with its brakes activated for about nine seconds before the collision.

The train was travelling at about 76 mph and had reduced to 49 mph when the impact happened.

The RAIB said its full investigation would assess ‘the actions of those involved and any factors that may have influenced them’.

British Transport Police have confirmed that 53 people are still in hospital after the collision, with eight in a critical condition.

Patients with the most serious injuries were taken to hospital, as were some of the 56 people who suffered minor injuries. Others were treated at the scene.