Bedford crash occurred after train passed red signal, investigators believe

Interim report says other train it hit had halted on line because warning system wrongly caused it to brake The train whose driver died in the Bedford rail crash passed a danger signal without stopping – while the train it hit had halted on the line because a fault in its warning system had caused it to brake, investigators believe. An initial report by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) into the crash, which also injured more than 100 people, said it was not yet clear whether the train’s automatic warning system (AWS) had alerted the driver of the southbound Luton airport express from Corby that he had passed a red signal. Unless the driver acknowledges an alert from the AWS, it should automatically trigger the train’s emergency brake, the RAIB said. CCTV evidence from Bedford station showed the train leaving the platform and passing a yellow caution light – a signal that tells the driver to be prepared to stop at a red signal ahead. More CCTV footage showed it passing the red light, while data from a black box showed it braked nine seconds before impact. The train’s speed reduced from 76mph to 49mph before it collided with a stationary Nottingham-London train on the sa