Bedford train crash leaves 1 killed, 99 injured

A collision of two passenger trains in Bedford of eastern England has left one person dead and 99 others injured, local authorities said on Saturday, with the accident continuing to disrupt rail services across the region.

The collision occurred at 17:15 local time on Friday near Bedford when a Luton Airport Express service struck an East Midlands Railway train.

Roads near the crash site remained closed as of Saturday while investigations and recovery operations were underway.

Electronic information boards at Bedford railway station showed that no train services would operate between Bedford and London St Pancras on Saturday and Sunday.

Passengers were advised to continue their journeys using replacement bus services arranged by rail operators.

As a key rail hub linking London with central and northern parts of Britain, Bedford station handles heavy commuter and intercity traffic.

The suspension of train services has forced many travelers to alter their plans, switch to buses or seek alternative rail routes.

The disruption indicates that the impact of the accident has extended well beyond the immediate crash site and is continuing to affect the normal operation of Britain's railway network.

China recorded more than 201 million cross-regional passenger trips on Saturday, the second day of the three-day Dragon Boat Festival holiday, according to data released by the Ministry of Transport.

The cross-regional passenger trips totaled 201.194 million, down 13.1 percent from the previous day and 1.8 percent lower than the same period last year, the ministry said.

Among the total, railway passenger trips numbered 12.143 million, while road transport handled 186.34 million passenger trips.

Waterway passenger traffic totaled 1.031 million trips, and the civil aviation sector handled 1.68 million passenger trips during the day, according to the ministry.