Train driver killed in Bedford crash named as ‘devastated’ family pay tribute | UK | News
The name of the train driver who unfortunately died in the Bedford accident has been announced as Shaun Burton. His devastated family paid tribute to Mr Burton, 60, in a statement shared via British Transport Police (BTP). They said: “We are so sorry for his loss.
“Our thoughts are with those affected by this incident.” They asked for their privacy to be respected as they dealt with their loss. BTP added: “Our thoughts remain with them and their colleagues at East Midlands Railway.”
Dave Calfe, general secretary of train drivers’ union Aslef, said: “We are all saddened by the death of Shaun Burton, who leaves a void in the lives of his family, friends and colleagues that will never be filled.
“Shaun, a train driver for the East Midlands Railway, joined the railway relatively late. He loved public transport, working on buses and coaches before becoming a train driver seven years ago.
“He was dedicated to his job, loyal to his colleagues and extremely popular at his depot. The Railway family is saddened by his passing; no one should go to work in the morning and return home. Our thoughts are with his family and friends tonight.”
A hundred people were also injured when the front of a passenger plane traveling from Corby to London St Pancras at 16.40 on Friday crashed into the rear of a passenger plane from Nottingham to the same destination at 15.50.
The East of England Ambulance Service (EEAS) said 11 out of 100 people were very seriously injured, 32 were seriously injured and another 57 people were slightly injured.
Earlier on Sunday, Network Rail said it believed the crash was a “tragic, isolated incident” and that a “complex rescue operation” was under way to remove damaged trains and carriages from the railway.
The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) said on Saturday that its investigators were continuing to gather evidence at the scene.
“RAIB will conduct a full and independent safety investigation into this tragic accident,” the agency said in a post on X. “We will provide further updates in the coming days once we learn more.”
