Heroic Train Staff Member Receives Life-Threatening Injuries During Mass Knife Incident on High-Speed Train
A courageous train staff member who intervened to save passengers during a multiple knife attack on a express train has sustained life-threatening injuries, authorities stated on Sunday.
Details of the Terrifying Incident
Surveillance footage allegedly shows the employee trying to halt the assailant as the train journeyed between Peterborough and another station in Cambridgeshire. Witnesses recounted a terrifying 14-minute period after the train left Peterborough, with bloodied passengers running through carriages.
The individual, a 32-year-old British national from Peterborough, remains in detention for interrogation. Authorities announced a significant incident on the 6:25 pm service from Peterborough to King's Cross in central London.
Crisis Response and Aftermath
The incident on Saturday night led to 11 people being cared for in hospital after the train made an unscheduled stop at platform 2 in Huntingdon. Five individuals have now been discharged from hospital.
A bystander recorded the individual waving a big knife and being subdued with a stun device as he faced officers on the platform. He was allegedly heard shouting, "End my life, end my life."
“This awful event has created broad consequences. We are thinking of the victims and their families – especially the brave employee of rail staff whose relatives are being supported by specialist officers,” stated a high-ranking police officer.
Labor Reaction and Calls for Action
Rail unions were quick to praise employees and demand increased action. One labor official said he would be “requesting immediate meetings with authorities, train companies and law enforcement to ensure that we have the strongest available support, tools and effective protocols in place”.
A different association representative urged the rail company and authorities “to act swiftly to examine security, to help the affected workers, and to ensure nothing like this occurs again”.
Driver Praised for Rapid Thinking
The operator who halted the service at Huntingdon was reported as being “very shaken” but “good”, and has been praised by union officials for doing “precisely what was needed”.
“The driver didn’t halt the service in the center of two stations where it’s clearly difficult for the first responders to access, but he carried on going until he got to Huntingdon, where the assistance was almost already there,” stated a union official.
Further Details
Police stated they received the initial emergency calls at 7:39 pm, and the service was compelled to make an unscheduled stop in Huntingdon at 7:50 pm.
One witness recounted at first thinking if the event was a holiday joke, but quickly understood from people's faces that it was real.
Police have confirmed there is nothing to indicate the event was a terrorist attack and have asked the public to provide with any further information.
Train services on the impacted route are expected to have delays until the following day, with passengers recommended to defer their journeys where feasible.
Individuals with details that could help the investigation are asked to reach police by texting a designated number with a reference code.
