Stranded passengers return to fines at Bedford station car park

Cars left at Bedford Borough Council’s Ashburnham Road Car Park beside Bedford railway station became part of the fallout from the rail crash south of Bedford, where stranded passengers were later met with fixed penalty notices on their windscreens. The enforcement blunder came after two East Midlands Railway trains collided on 19 June, killing driver Shaun Burton, 60, and injuring more than 100 people.

The collision happened at about 5.15pm near Kempston Hardwick and Elstow, south of the station area, when the 4.40pm Corby-to-London St Pancras service hit the rear of the 3.50pm Nottingham-to-London St Pancras train. Emergency services declared a major incident shortly after 5pm. 53 people remained in hospital, with eight people in critical condition; some accounts put the figure at nine.

Some passengers could not get back to their cars for days as rail services to and from Bedford were suspended or heavily disrupted. When they did return to Ashburnburn Road Car Park, they found penalty charge notices issued by Bedford Borough Council Parking Services. One commuter paid remotely for an extra day’s parking at 8.49am on Saturday 20 June, only to come back to a ticket anyway.

Bedford Borough Council apologised after the notices were issued and later rescinded the tickets. East Midlands Railway set up a dedicated support line for passengers and families directly affected by the collision, with help on returning personal belongings included in the response. From Monday 22 June, callers could also be referred to the British Red Cross for emotional support.

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch began examining the crash, and early findings published on 25 June showed the Corby service had passed a signal at danger before the collision.