Bedford train crash passenger questions signalling failures after driver confirmed dead and dozens treated in hospital

A passenger on one of the trains involved in yesterday's crash has questioned the circumstances leading up to the fatal collision.

The train driver has been confirmed dead, and 89 people have been injured after the incident.

Brett Byatt said he has been left feeling "shocked" and then "angry".

Speaking to the BBC, the teacher from Bedford said: "Yesterday I was pretty shocked."

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He added: "This morning, it feels surreal, and I think I’ve moved into the stage of anger now."

Referring to reports of a fault that had caused one train to stop, he said: "We’ve got one of the oldest railway networks and signal failures happen a lot, and now I’m just wondering … why wasn’t that signalled to my train and why did that train driver lose his life over this?"

Mr Byatt was unharmed in the collision.

The horror crash left 11 people with very serious injuries, 22 seriously injured and 56 with minor injuries, the East of England Ambulance Service said yesterday evening.

Footage taken by passengers revealed the graphic aftermath of two East Midlands Railway (EMR) services colliding on the tracks.

Eddie Dempsey, the General Secretary of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers, said: "We are devastated to learn that a train driver and former RMT rep has tragically died as a result of today’s crash between Luton and Bedford.

"The thoughts of RMT are with their family, friends, colleagues and the ASLEF trade union at this awful time."

British Transport Police said: "A major incident has been declared, and officers are continuing to respond at the scene alongside colleagues from Bedfordshire Police and the local Fire and Rescue and Ambulance Services."

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Aerial footage from earlier today shows two damaged trains, with one carriage pushed off the tracks.

More than 30 emergency vehicles attended the crash after EMR confirmed frontline workers were handling an incident between London St Pancras and Leicester.

Five air ambulance helicopters are in attendance at the major incident, alongside the Hazardous Area Response Team.

The Bedford crash will mark one of the most significant train crashes of the past decade in Britain.

Mr Byatt estimated that he thought "90 per cent" of passengers in his carriage had sustained injuries.

The passenger added: "I’d probably say from three to four of us were uninjured in a full carriage.

"Everyone else had either a serious wound that was bleeding profusely, or a situation where they couldn’t stand, or couldn’t move their neck, or I saw a woman’s snapped leg."

The cause of the crash is unknown.

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