01/10/2026
Elstow - Initial Findings. A Tough Read.
The Rail Accident Investigation Branch has today published its interim report into the collision between two East Midlands Railway passenger trains near Elstow on 19 June.
The findings make for tough reading.
• Train 1B67, a Class 810, was travelling at around 123mph when it received an AWS warning approaching signal WH154 — despite the signal displaying green.
• The AWS warning was not acknowledged and the train’s emergency brakes automatically applied.
• The train came to a stand, and the signalling system correctly protected it by changing WH154 behind it to red.
• The driver reported the AWS fault to the signaller.
• Meanwhile, Class 360 1H46 left Bedford and was routed onto the Up Fast.
• At 17:12:46, 1H46 received an AWS warning for WH154.
• The signal was displaying red.
• The driver acknowledged the AWS warning — but the train continued accelerating.
• At 17:12:53, 1H46 passed WH154 at danger.
• The train continued towards the stationary Class 810.
• The driver began braking at around 17:13:24, followed by an emergency brake application at around 75mph.
• The collision occurred approximately ten seconds later, at around 50mph.
The consequences were devastating.
The driver of 1H46, Shaun Burton, was killed.
At least 160 people were injured, with 102 taken to hospital. Both trains derailed and suffered substantial structural damage.
There is another significant finding.
WH154 was not fitted with TPWS.
RAIB says this was because the signal fell within an exception in the regulations covering certain rear-end collision risks. Its 2025 risk assessment classified the signal as having a low SPAD risk.
That does not mean the investigation is finished.
RAIB is still examining why 1H46 passed the red signal despite the AWS warning being acknowledged, the performance of the AWS and other safety systems, the earlier AWS failure on 1B67, the signalling system and the wider factors surrounding the accident.
And importantly, RAIB explicitly states that its investigation is not about assigning blame or liability.
The final report will follow.
