Major disruption after Bedford train crash to continue for at least a week

Major disruption on the rail line between Bedford and Luton will continue for at least a week after the collision of two trains which killed a train driver and injured 100 people . In a statement setting out the effects on some services until 28 June, Network Rail said the disaster had been a “tragic, isolated incident”. Engineers are working to remove the track’s overhead electrical wires and construct a temporary access road to the crash site. This will enable two 110-tonne cranes to be used to lift the damaged trains and carriages on to trailers to remove them by road, allowing engineers to assess any damage to the track and complete the necessary repairs. The line between Bedford and Luton will remain closed for the rest of the week as a result, with a limited rail replacement bus service in operation instead. There will be no services between Bedford and London St Pancras station. A limited service will begin to run north from St Pancras as far as Luton from Monday, but there will be no services north of Luton on the busy commuter Thameslink line. Luton airport express services have been cancelled and a rail replacement bus will operate between Luton airport and Luton. Investigations into the crash are continuing, but the managing director of Network Rail’s eastern region, Ellie Burrows, said “current indications are that this was a tragic isolated incident”. She said work to remove the two East Midlands Railway (EMR) trains from the track was being carried out at pace. …