🔗 Share this article

A courageous railway staff member who intervened to save travelers during a multiple knife attack on a express train has sustained life-threatening injuries, authorities stated on Sunday.

Details of the Terrifying Incident

CCTV video reportedly shows the employee trying to stop 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 injured passengers running through compartments.

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

Crisis Reaction and Aftermath

The event on Saturday night led to 11 people being cared for in medical facilities after the train made an unscheduled stop at the station in Huntingdon. Several people have since been released from hospital.

A witness recorded the suspect waving a big knife and being subdued with a stun device as he faced police on the station. He was reportedly heard shouting, "End my life, end my life."

“This was a horrific attack that has had a wide impact. My thoughts and those of everyone in British Transport Police are with those injured and their families – particularly the courageous employee of rail staff whose relatives are being supported by trained personnel,” said a senior police official.

Labor Reaction and Calls for Action

Train unions were quick to praise staff and call for more action. A union leader said he would be “requesting urgent meetings with government, train companies and police to ensure that we have the strongest available assistance, resources and effective protocols in place”.

Another union representative encouraged the train operator and government “to act quickly to examine safety, to help the impacted workers, and to ensure that no incident like this occurs again”.

Driver Praised for Quick Thinking

The train driver who stopped the train at Huntingdon was reported as being “very shaken” but “well”, and has been commended by union officials for doing “exactly the right thing”.

“He did not halt the service in the center of two stops where it’s clearly challenging for the first responders to access, but he continued traveling until he got to Huntingdon, where the assistance was pretty much already there,” stated a association representative.

Additional Information

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

One witness described initially wondering if the event was a Halloween prank, but quickly understood from individuals' faces that it was real.

Police have confirmed there is nothing to suggest the event was a terrorist incident and have asked the public to come forward with any further details.

Train services on the affected line are anticipated to have delays until the following day, with passengers advised to defer their journeys where feasible.

Anyone with details that could help the investigation are asked to reach authorities by texting a specific number with a case code.