Network Rail has said as it announced that rail services will be disrupted until June 28 while a “complex recovery operation” begins to remove the damaged trains and carriages. British Transport Police said more than 80 people were treated in hospital on Friday night, and as of Saturday morning 28 remained in hospital. Of the 100 victims, 11 people were very seriously injured, a further 32 were seriously hurt, and 57 others suffered minor injuries, the East of England Ambulance Service (EEAS) said.
Ellie Burrows, Network Rail Eastern regional managing director, said: “Colleagues from across the rail industry are working together at pace to remove the trains and carriages from the railway, and complete the repairs to the tracks.
“This is a complex and challenging task, and our teams will be working tirelessly to reopen the railway so we can resume services between Bedford and London.
“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.”
The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) said on Saturday that its inspectors continued to gather evidence at the scene.
“RAIB will conduct a full, independent safety investigation into this tragic accident,” the agency said in a post on X.
“We will provide a further update in the coming days once we know more.”
Speaking at a press conference near the scene on Saturday, British Transport Police Chief Constable Lucy D’Orsi said: “There will be a lot of questions as to what exactly happened on (Friday) night.
“I would like to reassure everyone that specialist investigators from British Transport Police are working with colleagues at the Rail Accident Investigation Branch to gather the facts and determine what has happened.
“They are extremely experienced and I would ask that we all refrain from speculation.”
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