Tributes paid to train driver killed in crash as experts work to reopen line
Railway crews work to reopen the line following the tragedy
Last updated 1 hour ago
Tributes have poured in for a train driver who was killed in a crash near Bedford as crews continued work to reopen the railway line.
Shaun Burton, 60, died when the East Midlands Railway (EMR) train he was driving collided into the back of another on the same line shortly after 5pm on Friday.
His family said: “We are devastated by his loss.
“Our thoughts are also with those affected by this incident.”
Dave Calfe, general secretary of Aslef, the train drivers’ union, said Mr Burton was dedicated to his job, devoted to his colleagues and “enormously popular at his depot”.
“We are all heartbroken by the death of Shaun Burton which leaves a hole in the lives of his family, friends, and colleagues, which will never be filled,” Mr Calfe said.
EMR managing director Will Rogers said Mr Burton, who joined the company in 2019, was a “dedicated railway professional whose commitment, service, and professionalism touched the lives of colleagues and passengers alike”.
He added: “Shaun was known for his quick-wit, kind, generous, and intelligent nature, and for always having a smile on his face.”
Some 100 other people were injured in the crash when the front of the 4.40pm Friday departure from Corby to London St Pancras hit the rear of the 3.50pm departure from Nottingham to the same destination.
Network Rail said it believed the collision was a “tragic, isolated incident” as its staff carried out the “complex recovery operation”.
Passengers have been told to expect disruption for most of the week on the busy commuter route and there will be no Thameslink services north of Luton towards Bedford and no EMR services south of Bedford, with a limited rail replacement bus service running between Luton and Bedford while the work continues.
Ellie Burrows, a regional managing director for Network Rail, said: “While investigations are still at an early stage, current indications are that this was a tragic, isolated incident.
“We are focused on the safe reopening of the railway and getting services running as quickly as possible.
“During this time, our message to passengers is clear – please expect disruption to services through this area for the majority of next week and only travel if absolutely necessary.”
On Sunday, the two vehicles remained on the tracks as crews built a temporary road on a field next to the railway which will be used by a crane and a trailer.
The overhead wires which provide power to electric trains will be removed, Network Rail said.
Two 110-tonne Kirow cranes on the track will then lift the trains and carriages from the line, then a road crane will move them on to a trailer to be taken away by road, before engineers inspect the railway.
There was a huge emergency response to the crash, which happened just south of the Elstow interchange between the A421 and the A6, with air ambulances and fire engines sent to the scene.
On Friday, passenger Pete Knapp described people “crying, screaming” and said some seemed to have major injuries.
Dr Knapp told the Press Association: “There was a moment of being flung into the chair in front, and then I saw smoke.
“People were crying, screaming, people were so scared and confused.”