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Emergency services said 11 people suffered very serious injuries, 22 were seriously injured and a further 56 sustained minor injuries in the crash, which happened at around 5.15pm on Friday.
The collision involved the 4.40pm service from Corby to London St Pancras and the 3.50pm service from Nottingham to London St Pancras.
In a statement, British Transport Police said: “Tragically, one person was pronounced dead at the scene. He is the driver of one of the trains involved and his family have been informed.”
The cause of the collision remains under investigation.
Rail union RMT confirmed the victim was a train driver and former union representative. General secretary Eddie Dempsey said the union was “devastated to learn that a train driver and former RMT rep has tragically died” in the crash.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said she was “deeply concerned” by the incident and the loss of life.
“My thoughts are with all of those affected, especially the people who’ve been injured, their friends and their family,” she said.
When asked about the cause of the collision, Alexander said it was “too early to speculate”.
“We will make sure that there’s a thorough investigation done to establish how this collision happened and to ensure that lessons are learned so that we don’t have an incident like this ever again,” she said.
“The UK railways are some of the safest in the world. It’s very unusual for this to happen on the network.”
Claire Ward, Mayor of the East Midlands, said: “My heartfelt condolences are with this person’s family and loved ones during this heartbreaking time.
“Impacted passengers and railway staff are being supported by specialist officers, and I repeat my request to please not share any unconfirmed reports.”
Services between London St Pancras and the East Midlands were suspended following the crash, with disruption expected to continue into Saturday as investigations continue at the scene.rgency services were called at about 5:15 p.m. (1615 GMT) to the line south of Bedford, where two East Midlands Railway trains were involved in the crash.
A video posted on social media by one of the passengers showed what appeared to be the front of one train entangled with the back of another, with the carriages appearing to remain upright on the tracks.
"My thoughts are with the family of the person who has sadly lost their life, and with those who have been seriously injured," Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a statement.
The East of England Ambulance Service said a large number of crews had been deployed, including more than 20 ambulances and six air ambulances.
One person died at the scene, 11 people suffered very serious injuries, 22 were seriously injured and 56 had minor injuries, it said.
Deputy Chief Constable Stuart Cundy said a significant emergency service response was under way as authorities worked to establish what had happened.
Peter Knapp, a doctor who said on social media site Bluesky he was on board one of the trains, described a "sudden crash" with one carriage off the rails and said he had sustained minor injuries.