At 06:10 today, 3 November, the 04:28 Avanti West Coast service from Glasgow Central to London Euston was reported to have derailed at Shap in Cumbria.

There were 86 people plus our train crew onboard. All passengers and colleagues were evacuated to the nearby Shap Wells Hotel.

All those onboard were assessed by paramedics, and four were treated for minor injuries. Thankfully, none required hospital treatment and all were discharged, and we’ve now provided transport for customers to continue their journey south or return north.

Managing Director for Avanti West Coast, Andy Mellors, said: “Our main priority is the safety and wellbeing of our customers and colleagues following this serious incident.

“I would like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation and gratitude for the actions of our colleagues onboard which has been warmly received and appreciated by customers.

“I would also like to thank our staff who responded, the emergency services, Network Rail and the local hotel who laid on facilities for everyone onboard. We are now ensuring we provide support to those affected.”

It has also been confirmed by Network Rail that a landslip is part of the investigation being undertaken by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB). The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) have also dispatched an inspector to the site.

The West Coast Main Line will remain closed while the investigation is carried out and the train recovered. This means we have issued a do not travel to or from destinations north of Preston, and are advising of significant disruption until the route is operational. Destinations north of Preston include, Blackpool, Lancaster, Oxenholme, Penrith, Carlisle, Lockerbie, Motherwell, Glasgow, Haymarket, and Edinburgh.

We will continue to develop our plans to respond to the incident and work with industry partners to reopen the network as soon as possible.

Ticket acceptance is in place on alternative routes with the following operators:

• Between London Kings Cross and Edinburgh with LNER

• Between Edinburgh and Glasgow Central with ScotRail

• Between Edinburgh and Birmingham New Street with CrossCountry

• Between Carlisle and Newcastle with Northern

• Between Preston and York with Northern

Image: Avanti West Coast