Pictured: Train driver, 60, who was killed in Bedford crash that injured 100

It was announced that the train driver who died in the terrible accident near Bedford in which 100 people were injured was 60-year-old Shaun Burton.

A train rear-ended another on the same line just after 5pm on Friday.

While the train driver died instantly in the collision, nine people struggled for life in the hospital.

Mr Burton’s grieving family said at the memorial service: ‘We are devastated by his loss. Our thoughts are with those affected by this incident.’

The East of England Ambulance Service (EEAS) said that of the 100 victims, 11 people were very seriously injured, 32 were seriously injured and 57 were slightly injured.

This was the highest number of casualties in any railway disaster in the UK for 20 years.

Both trains were bound for London. The first, the service from Nottingham to St Pancras at 15.50, stopped on the track.

It was then rear-ended by the 16.40 Corby train, which had stopped at Bedford station just two minutes earlier.

Specialist crane equipment to be used to lift the two trains from the tracks also arrived at the crash site this morning.

British Transport Police declared the crash a major incident as police and paramedics rushed to the scene.

Network Rail today described the crash as a ‘tragic, isolated incident’ and announced rail services would be disrupted until 28 June, while a ‘complex rescue operation’ would begin to remove damaged trains and carriages.

King Charles joined senior politicians to offer his condolences following Britain’s worst train disaster in 20 years.

The monarch said he was “deeply saddened” and his “thoughts and sympathies” were with the family of the deceased and those affected.

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) said on Saturday that its investigators were continuing to collect evidence at the scene.

“The RAIB will conduct a full and independent safety investigation into this tragic accident,” a post on Agency X said.

‘We will provide further updates in the coming days once we know more.’

The front end of the plane, which took off from Corby to London St Pancras at 4.40pm, was crushed when it struck the rear of the passenger, who took off from Nottingham to the same destination at 3.50pm.

The rear carriages of the Corby train, which were diverted to the forward carriages, were also damaged.

Cellphone footage showed victims covered in blood on the floors of carriages and others staggering in a nearby field.

One survivor compared the impact of the crash to ‘a bomb explosion’ and said most people in the car ‘lost a lot of blood’ or were unable to stand.

Passenger Pete Knapp described people ‘crying, screaming’ and said some appeared to be seriously injured.

Dr Knapp said: ‘I was thrown into the front chair for a moment and then I saw smoke.

‘People were crying, people were screaming, people were very scared and confused.’

The 40-year-old man said he saw ‘life-threatening people, seriously injured people, slightly injured people’, ‘people with bandages, people who cannot see properly’, while others like him could still walk.

New photos taken today show the crash site of Britain’s worst train disaster in 20 years

Investigators begin work following train crash near Bedford on Friday evening

Brett Byatt, another passenger on the ship, told the BBC he was among three or four people in his car who were uninjured, adding: ‘Everyone had either a serious wound that was bleeding profusely or something where they couldn’t stand or move their neck, or I saw one woman had her leg broken.’

Mr Byatt, a teacher who lives in Bedford, said he felt ‘angry’ the morning after the collision.

‘I don’t know from whom, from whom in particular, but it’s more to do with the fact that we have one of the oldest railway networks and signal failures are very common and now I’m just wondering… why wasn’t the signal sent to my train and why did that train driver lose his life because of it?’ he said.

Buckingham Palace said the King was ‘deeply saddened’ by the accident and his ‘thoughts and condolences are with the family of the deceased and anyone injured or affected by such a tragic incident’, while Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said in a post on X that he had spoken to the chief executive of the EEAS.

Sir Keir said: ‘I paid tribute to the air ambulance crews, the emergency services who responded under extremely difficult conditions, as well as the NHS staff who cared for the injured.’

Rail expert Tony Miles of Modern Railways magazine said the accident was puzzling because it should not have been possible to clear the signals if the track was full.

Mr Miles said a driver could theoretically decide to go through the red signal if they wanted to, but ‘normally they would only do so because they were given permission by the signal box because there was a fault’.

He added: ‘Obviously this was a rear-end collision, they were going in the same direction so for some reason the rear was going faster than the one he caught.

‘The question then must be how the train came into contact with the train it was following.

‘Either he passed a signal telling him to stop, or the signal was faulty, or the driver made a mistake somehow. ‘All these different scenarios have happened over the years.’

Speaking at a press conference close to the scene on Saturday, British Transport Police Chief Superintendent Lucy D’Orsi said: ‘There will be many questions about exactly what happened on (Friday) night.

‘I would like to reassure everyone that specialist investigators from British Transport Police are working with colleagues from the Rail Accidents Investigation Branch to gather the facts and establish what happened.

‘They are extremely experienced and I would ask us all to avoid speculation.’

Police chiefs said the response from emergency services was outstanding and praised local people for the ‘tremendous kindness’ they showed to passengers following the crash.

The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) was ‘devastated to learn of the tragic death of a train engineer and former RMT representative’.

General secretary Eddie Dempsey wrote of X: ‘RMT’s thoughts are with their families, friends, colleagues and the Aslef union at this terrible time.’

Ampthill Road remained closed all day on Saturday between the Interchange Retail Park roundabout and Manor Road in Kempston Hardwick.

A major emergency response was made to the accident, which occurred just south of the Elstow junction between the A421 and the A6, with air ambulances and fire crews sent to the scene.

Network Rail said on Saturday that part of its East Midlands route remained closed as the emergency response continued and crews assessed damage to trains and infrastructure.

Railroad inspectors have recovered the black box from the wreckage of the Bedford train crash, which killed the driver and injured 100 people.

The company said it would provide updates when it has a clearer understanding of the recovery efforts required and when services can safely reopen, adding that passengers should check with train operators for the latest travel advice.

The black box was recovered from the wreckage of the train this morning.

Rail inspectors removed him from the Luton Airport Express yesterday and slapped an evidence tag on his side.

The data logger will help investigators piece together what happened before the service crashed into the tail end of a stationary passenger train near Bedford at 5.15pm on Friday.

Specialist crane equipment also arrived at the crash site this morning, just south of the Elstow junction between the A421 and A6, where it will be used to lift two trains from the tracks.