Bedford rail crash: train sped up after red light warning, say investigators

The Bedford rail crash, which occurred on June 19, has revealed troubling details as investigators report that the train involved accelerated after the driver received a warning for passing a red light. The driver of the East Midlands train, Shaun Burton, aged 60, tragically lost his life in the incident.

Incident Overview

According to the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB), the driver acknowledged the automatic warning but did not take action after passing the danger signal, which is rarely displayed as red. The train, a southbound Luton airport express from Corby, continued to accelerate to 76 mph before the driver applied the emergency brakes upon seeing the stationary train ahead.

Key Findings

The collision resulted in the death of Shaun Burton, described by his employers as a “dedicated railway professional.”
The train failed to stop in time, colliding with a stationary Nottingham-London train on the same track.
The first train had stopped after an AWS warning incorrectly sounded following a green signal.
The train involved was a new Aurora class 810 model, built by Hitachi, and had been in service for less than six months.

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Incident Overview

Key Findings

The collision resulted in the death of Shaun Burton, described by his employers as a “dedicated railway professional.”
The train failed to stop in time, colliding with a stationary Nottingham-London train on the same track.
The first train had stopped after an AWS warning incorrectly sounded following a green signal.
The train involved was a new Aurora class 810 model, built by Hitachi, and had been in service for less than six months.