🔗 Share this article

A valiant railway staff member who intervened to save passengers during a mass knife incident on a express train has sustained life-threatening wounds, authorities confirmed on Sunday.

Details of the Frightening Event

Surveillance footage reportedly shows the employee trying to halt the assailant as the train journeyed between a city and Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire. Witnesses described a terrifying 14-minute duration after the train departed Peterborough, with injured victims fleeing through compartments.

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

Emergency Response and Aftermath

The incident on the weekend resulted in 11 people being treated in hospital after the train made an unplanned stop at the station in Huntingdon. Several people have since been released from medical care.

A witness recorded the individual brandishing a big knife and being shot with a Taser as he confronted police on the station. He was allegedly heard shouting, "End my life, end my life."

“This terrible incident has affected many people. We are thinking of the victims and their families – especially the courageous employee of train personnel whose relatives are being supported by specialist officers,” said a senior police official.

Labor Response and Appeals for Action

Rail associations were quick to praise employees and call for increased action. A labor official stated he would be “seeking immediate meetings with government, rail employers and law enforcement to ensure that we have the strongest available assistance, tools and robust procedures in place”.

Another union representative encouraged the rail company and authorities “to move quickly to examine safety, to help the impacted employees, and to ensure that no incident like this happens again”.

Driver Commended for Rapid Thinking

The operator who halted the service at Huntingdon was reported as being “very shaken” but “good”, and has been commended by association representatives for doing “precisely what was needed”.

“He didn’t halt the train in the center of two stops where it’s clearly difficult for the first responders to access, but he carried on traveling until he arrived to Huntingdon, where the response was pretty much already there,” explained a association representative.

Further Information

Police said they received the first emergency calls at 7:39 pm, and the train was compelled to make an unplanned stop in Huntingdon at 7:50 pm.

An observer recounted at first wondering if the situation was a Halloween joke, but soon realized from individuals' faces that it was real.

Authorities have confirmed there is nothing to indicate the event was a terrorist incident and have asked the community to come forward with any additional information.

Train operations on the affected route are anticipated to have disruption until Monday, with passengers recommended to postpone their travel where possible.

Anyone with information that could assist the inquiry are asked to reach authorities by texting a designated number with a case code.