On This Day in 1955, Luton Station Train Crash

On this day in 1955, a serious railway accident took place at Luton railway station on the Midland Main Line in Bedfordshire. During the evening of 22 December, a local passenger train travelling from London St Pancras to Leicester had been given the signal to depart. Shortly after starting to move, the train was brought to a stand because it was not fully clear of the platform, leaving its rear coaches still within the station limits.

Once the local service had moved forward far enough to clear the home signal, the signalman accepted an express passenger train from London St Pancras to Derby into the section. The express approached Luton under clear conditions but failed to respond to the distant signal that warned of a stop ahead. When the driver finally saw the home signal at danger, the emergency brakes were applied, but the train was travelling too fast to stop in time.

The express collided with the rear of the stationary local train at the station. The force of the impact caused the rear two coaches of the Leicester service to telescope into one another, resulting in severe damage. One passenger was killed in the collision and 23 others were injured, several seriously, making it one of the more significant railway accidents of the decade.

An official investigation concluded that the primary cause of the accident was the failure of the Derby train’s driver to observe and respond to the distant signal. The inquiry also noted that bright lights from the nearby Vauxhall factory had reduced the visibility of the signal, contributing to the circumstances of the crash. As a result, changes were made to local lighting arrangements to reduce the risk of similar incidents in the future.