Major disruption on the rail line between Bedford and Luton will continue for at least a week after the collision of two trains which killed a train driver and injured 100 people.

In a statement setting out the effects on some services until 28 June, Network Rail said the disaster had been a “tragic, isolated incident”.

Engineers are working to remove the track’s overhead electrical wires and construct a temporary access road to the crash site.

This will enable two 110-tonne cranes to be used to lift the damaged trains and carriages on to trailers to remove them by road, allowing engineers to assess any damage to the track and complete the necessary repairs.

The line between Bedford and Luton will remain closed for the rest of the week as a result, with a limited rail replacement bus service in operation instead. There will be no services between Bedford and London St Pancras station.

A limited service will begin to run north from St Pancras as far as Luton from Monday, but there will be no services north of Luton on the busy commuter Thameslink line. Luton airport express services have been cancelled and a rail replacement bus will operate between Luton airport and Luton.

Investigations into the crash are continuing, but the managing director of Network Rail’s eastern region, Ellie Burrows, said “current indications are that this was a tragic isolated incident”.

She said work to remove the two East Midlands Railway (EMR) trains from the track was being carried out at pace.

“This is a complex and challenging task and our teams will be working tirelessly to reopen the railway so we can resume services between Bedford and London,” she said.

Passengers should “expect disruption to services through this area for the majority of next week and only travel if absolutely necessary”.

More than 80 passengers were treated in hospital on Friday night. As of Saturday morning, 28 were still in hospital, nine of them in a critical condition.

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) said on Saturday that its inspectors were continuing to gather evidence at the scene, which is just south of the Elstow interchange between the A421 and the A6.

“RAIB will conduct a full, independent safety investigation into this tragic accident,” the agency said in a post on X. “We will provide a further update in the coming days once we know more.”

Specialist investigators from the British Transport Police are working RAIB’s inspectors to determine what happened, and members of the public have been urged to refrain from speculation.

The trains involved were the 4.40pm Friday departure from Corby to St Pancras and the 3.50pm departure from Nottingham to the same destination.

The front of the Corby train was crushed when it crashed into the rear of the Nottingham train, and it also sustained damage to its rear carriages when they were shunted into the ones in front.

The chief constable of the British Transport Police, Lucy D’Orsi, said people in Bedfordshire had shown “immense kindness to those stranded on trains and casualties”.

One person from Elstow, who did not wish to be named, said a friend’s son had had a full view of the crash site from his home. “There was loads of people throwing out water and food over the fence. They did everything they could to try and help those people,” she said.

Network Rail said that while the Midland mainline was closed at Bedford, train operators would accept tickets for affected EMR customers on any alternative route. If customers decide to travel on EMR once the line is reopened, their connecting ticket on other operators also will be valid on that day too.

Journey planning apps and websites are being updated to reflect the changes to the timetable but may take a few hours to do so, Network Rail said. Customers are advised to check live travel updates before they travel.