Rail passengers travelling to and from Bedford are being warned to expect significant disruption for most of next week following Friday’s fatal train collision south of the town.
The railway between Bedford and Luton is expected to remain closed until at least the end of next week as investigators continue their work and engineers carry out a complex recovery operation.
Passengers are being advised to travel only if their journey is essential.
The disruption follows Friday’s collision involving two East Midlands Railway trains near Elstow, which claimed the life of a train driver and left dozens of people injured.
Read: One person dies and dozens injured after passenger trains collide near Bedford
No direct trains
For Bedford passengers, the biggest impact is the loss of direct rail services to London.
East Midlands Railway services will terminate at Bedford rather than London St Pancras, while Thameslink services will run only as far north as Luton.
This means there will be no direct train services between Bedford and London while recovery work continues.
Passengers travelling south will need to use replacement bus services between Bedford and Luton before continuing their journeys by train.
Rail operators have warned that replacement buses will have limited capacity and journeys are likely to take significantly longer than normal.
Replacement buses
From Monday, Thameslink will operate replacement buses between Bedford and Luton.
A shuttle service between Bedford and Luton Airport Parkway, calling at Luton, will run every 30 minutes.
Additional buses will run between Bedford and Luton, calling at Flitwick, Harlington and Leagrave. These will operate every 15 minutes during peak periods and every 30 minutes at other times.
East Midlands Railway will also run replacement bus services linking Bedford with Luton and stations further north.
Passengers are being urged to check before travelling as services may change while recovery work continues.
Complex recovery
Read: Air ambulance teams and volunteers support major Bedford rail incident
Network Rail said the recovery operation will be complex and could take much of the week.
Engineers must first remove overhead power lines before constructing temporary foundations capable of supporting heavy lifting equipment.
Two specialist 110-tonne rail-mounted cranes will then be used to remove the damaged trains from the site.
Only once the trains have been removed will engineers be able to fully assess the condition of the track and begin repairs.
The overhead power lines will then need to be reinstated before safety checks can be completed and services resume.
Essential travel
Louis Rambaud, chief customer officer at Thameslink operator Govia Thameslink Railway, urged passengers to consider whether their journeys were necessary.
“We’re asking anyone planning to travel on the Midland Main Line on Monday to only make essential journeys while this work continues,” he said.
East Midlands Railway managing director Will Rogers said no EMR services would operate between Bedford and London St Pancras during the recovery period.
“We appreciate our customers’ patience as we work with our industry partners to restore services,” he said.
Read: Nine in critical condition after fatal Bedford train collision
Network Rail said current indications suggest the collision was an isolated incident, although investigations into the cause remain at an early stage.
Passengers are being advised to check journey planners and operator websites before travelling.
