🔗 Share this article

A valiant train staff member who intervened to save travelers during a mass knife incident on a express train has sustained critical injuries, police confirmed on Sunday.

Particulars of the Frightening Event

Surveillance video reportedly shows the staff member trying to stop the attacker as the train traveled between Peterborough and another station in the county. Witnesses described a frightening 14-minute duration after the train departed Peterborough, with injured passengers running through compartments.

The suspect, a 32-year-old British national from Peterborough, is in custody for interrogation. Authorities declared a major incident on the 6:25 pm service from Peterborough to King's Cross in central London.

Crisis Reaction and Aftermath

The event on the weekend led to 11 people being treated in hospital after the train made an unscheduled stop at the station in Huntingdon. Five individuals have now been discharged from hospital.

A witness filmed the suspect waving a large knife and being shot with a stun device as he faced officers on the station. He was allegedly heard yelling, "End my life, end my life."

“This awful event has created broad consequences. We are thinking of the victims and their families – particularly the courageous employee of train personnel whose family are being assisted by specialist personnel,” said a senior police officer.

Union Reaction and Calls for Action

Rail associations were swift to commend employees and call for increased action. One union official said he would be “seeking immediate meetings with government, train companies and police to ensure that we have the strongest possible support, resources and robust procedures in place”.

A different union representative encouraged the rail company and government “to move quickly to examine security, to support the impacted employees, and to ensure nothing like this occurs again”.

Driver Praised for Rapid Thinking

The operator who stopped the service at Huntingdon was reported as being “very shaken” but “good”, and has been commended by association officials for doing “exactly the right thing”.

“The driver didn’t halt the train in the center of two stations where it’s clearly challenging for the first responders to reach, but he carried on going until he arrived to Huntingdon, where the assistance was pretty much already there,” explained a association official.

Further Information

Authorities stated they received the first distress calls at 7:39 pm, and the service was forced to make an unplanned stop in Huntingdon at 7:50 pm.

One observer recounted initially wondering if the event was a Halloween joke, but quickly realized from people's faces that it was real.

Authorities have confirmed there is nothing to indicate the event was a terrorist attack and have requested the community to provide with any additional information.

Train operations on the impacted route are expected to experience delays until the following day, with passengers recommended to postpone their travel where possible.

Individuals with information that could help the inquiry are encouraged to contact police by texting a designated number with a reference code.