Travel expert Simon Calder said the LNER train driver’s quick call to the control centre at Network Rail to get the train diverted onto the slow line was ‘absolutely crucial’
One single act by the LNER train driver may have prevented yesterday’s mass stabbing from being much more horrific, a travel expert has claimed.
Eleven people were injured on the 6.25pm train service from Doncaster to London King’s Cross on Saturday. British Transport Police declared a major incident when the train came to a stop in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, after passengers pulled the emergency alarms and two men were arrested eight minutes after police were called at 7.42pm.
One of the men has been released with no further action. The 35-year-old man from London was held after a report in good faith, BTP said, but officers have since established he was not involved.
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A 32-year-old black British national remains in custody on suspicion of attempted murder. He is from Peterborough and boarded the train there, when it stopped at 7.30pm, officers confirmed.
Today, travel expert Simon Calder spoke to BBC News channel about the procedures in place for similar incidents. He said the driver “managed to contact the control centre at Network Rail and get the train diverted onto the slow line.”
Mr Calder said this was “absolutely crucial” because otherwise, the train “was scheduled to be travelling through Huntingdon station on the tracks with no platform at 125mph.” Doing this also ensured that the train “didn’t stop in the middle of nowhere” as this would have made it “very difficult” for emergency services to reach the scene.
According to the travel expert, the incident was handled in the “safest possible way” thanks to the “incredible professionalism from the driver and the police.” Mr Calder added that train drivers are trained on how to take appropriate action in case an incident breaks out.
The driver who stopped the train at Huntingdon is “very shaken” but “good”, and has been commended by an Aslef union officer who said he had done “exactly the right thing”. Nigel Roebuck, Aslef officer who leads on negotiations with LNER, said: “He (the driver) didn’t stop the train in the middle of two stations where it’s obviously difficult for the emergency services to reach, but he carried on going until he got to Huntingdon, where the response was pretty much already there.”
The attack is understood to have started shortly after the LNER train left Peterborough station. LNER, which operates East Coast Main Line services in the UK, said disruption to its services between London King’s Cross and Lincoln, Doncaster, Leeds, Bradford Forster Square and Harrogate was expected to last until Monday, with passengers advised to defer their travel where possible.
David Horne, managing director of LNER, said: “We are deeply shocked and saddened by yesterday’s incident and our thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected, particularly our colleague who remains in a life-threatening condition, and their family. I would like to thank the emergency services for their quick and professional response and the care they provided to those injured.
“I would also like to recognise the driver, crew and our operational response colleagues for their bravery and quick actions. This is a deeply upsetting incident. Over the coming days we will continue to co-operate with the authorities involved and will do everything we can to support our customers and colleagues during this very difficult time.”
