A major recovery operation is underway at the site of Friday’s fatal train collision south of Bedford, with engineers building temporary roads and crane platforms before damaged carriages can be removed from the railway.
Network Rail says specialist teams are preparing to lift the trains involved in the crash near Elstow, one carriage at a time, before engineers can fully assess the damage to the track, signalling equipment and overhead power lines.
The work comes as East Midlands Railway and Network Rail again paid tribute to driver Shaun Burton, who died in the collision, while urging people not to speculate about its cause as investigations continue.
Read: Train driver killed in Bedford rail collision named as Shaun Burton
Recovery operation
Mark Budden, Network Rail’s East Midlands route director, said the railway’s immediate priorities were supporting the formal investigation and safely recovering the railway.
Speaking from the scene, he said extensive preparation work had already taken place, including the construction of a temporary access road and a reinforced concrete base capable of supporting the heavy crane now positioned beside the railway.
“A huge amount of work’s already gone into preparing this site for lifting operations,” he said.
“That involves building a road to site and laying a concrete pad for the very heavy crane behind me to carry out lifting operations of heavy carriages.”
Mr Budden said each carriage would be lifted individually in a carefully planned operation designed to avoid causing further damage to the railway infrastructure.
“We then move into lifting of the carriages individually. Each one is planned and done very sensitively, and very slowly, to make sure we don’t damage the railway further,” he said.
Read: Ampthill Road closed for a week as Bedford train collision recovery continues
Once the trains have been removed, engineers will inspect the route and assess what repairs are needed before services can resume.
“That damage could involve repairing the track, the signalling and possibly the overhead lines,” he said.
“But it’s absolutely essential that we do that carefully, professionally, so we’re able to open up the railway safely.”
Investigation continues
East Midlands Railway managing director Will Rogers said the operator remained focused on supporting those affected by the collision and helping investigators establish exactly what happened.
Mr Rogers paid tribute to Mr Burton, describing him as a “much-loved colleague” who was “kind, generous and intelligent”.
He said: “Our thoughts also remain with all of those who are still recovering from the incident. I cannot imagine how difficult this is.
“We are doing everything we can to identify the causes, to make sure nothing like this can ever happen again.”
Mr Rogers urged people to allow investigators time to establish the facts.
“Rail remains one of the safest forms of transport in the country, and I would ask everyone to allow the investigations to run their course before drawing any conclusions,” he said.
Read: Helpline launched for passengers and families affected by Bedford rail collision
Travel disruption
The Midland Main Line remains closed between Bedford and Luton while recovery work continues.
Read: No direct Bedford-to-London trains this week as rail recovery operation begins
EMR is currently operating a reduced service, with one train an hour running between Bedford and Sheffield, Nottingham and Corby. Rail replacement buses are operating onwards towards Luton.
Thameslink services continue to terminate at Luton, with replacement bus services operating for passengers travelling to and from Bedford.
Passengers are being advised to travel only if their journey is essential and to check before travelling.
