Matt from Busted was one of 120 people who cheated death when his train crashed at Waterloo station. He exclusively tells Sneak what really happened

One ordinary Friday morning in March 2000, Matt left his school in south London to head into the city centre. Matt was trying to break into acting and as he headed towards his local train station, all that was on his mind was how he was going to impress the judges at the audition he had that afternoon. Matt has no idea he was about to be involved in a horrific, life-changing accident.

Blood

As the train pulled into the platform in south London, Matt automatically got into the nearest carriage at the front. The train left the station at 1.34pm and during the journey, he looked out of the window, read and tried to mentally prepare himself for his big audition.
But at around 1.50pm, as the train pulled into platform five at Waterloo station, the unthinkable happened, and Matt's and another 119 people's lives changed forever.
Instead of gliding into its usual spot, there was a terrifying sound as the train smashed into the back of stationary carriages at Waterloo station. 'I was in the very front carriage,' he recalls. 'We got the worst of the impact.
'It was really weird. Suddenly everything went mad. It seemed like the crash was happening really slowly but it was actually all over in seconds,' he says, trying to piece together the horrific events. 'My head went through a sheet of glass and I saw the bloke sitting behind me fly past and straight into the driver's door.'
Although everything happened so suddenly, the terrifying images are still sharp in Matt's mind: 'The man got up and there was blood everywhere. Everyone on the train was screaming and crying and I remember an old woman falling on top of me. It's amazing that no one died - but there were so many people injured.'

Emergency

While Matt and the other passengers were trapped in the chaos, ten ambulances and two motorcycle paramedics had been alerted and were already speeding at the station. As Matt tried to get up and check on the people lying on the carriage floor around him, he was shocked to witness just how selfish people can be - despite the fact that others were seriously injured nearby.
'I remember there was some w****r just running around and swearing,' says Matt, angrily. 'I was like, 'You're not helping anyone - you're an idiot!' He was just being an absolute p****.'
But luckily, some people were brave. 'There was another guy standing there covered in blood and he was the one that smashed the glass and pulled the emergency lever to open the door,' Matt says. 'He was doing this, in shock and in pain, while the other shouting guy just got out and started screaming at the driver! Can you believe it? It's not like the drive meant to crash the train on purpose, is it?!'
As Matt and the other terrified passengers struggled out of their carriages, the emergency services and everyone else at the station desperately tried to get medical help to the most serious cases, and to calm the most shocked people. Three needed immediate serious medical attention and 27 needed emergency treatment.

Brave

Matt was treated for head injuries. And whether it was the shock or just his determination to get his career on track, he even continued on to the audition. 'I turned up with a bandage round my head and said, 'Sorry I'm late, I've been in a train crash,' says plucky Matt, laughing. They said, 'We just heard about it on the news.''
The other actors and the judges were obviously very shocked to see that Matt had managed to make it to the audition, despite having been in such a dramatic accident. But Matt adds, 'I still didn't get the f***ing job! And worse still, then I had to get a train home!'
As Matt travelled back, he admits he still hadn't got his head round just how lucky he was to be alive. 'I was totally sh*tting myself!' he confesses. 'I still can't believe that no one died.'

Timetable of terror

13.09 - the train leaves Hampton Court, West London
13.34 - Matt gets on front carriage of the train
13.48 - train hits carriages at Waterloo and emergency servies are alerted
13.50 - emergency lever is pulled. Matt and passengers struggle out of train