'A thud, then train rocked and tilted': Passengers tell of Glasgow-London derailment

An early morning train from Glasgow to London has derailed, seemingly after hitting a landslip, leading to major disruption set to last for "a number of days" on the West Coast Mainline.

At 06:10 GMT the 04:28 Avanti West Coast service from Glasgow Central to London Euston came off the tracks at Shap in Cumbria, the train operator said.

Lines north of Preston and south of Carlisle were blocked as a result, leaving passengers stranded either side of the crash.

The North West Ambulance Service said there were 87 people, including staff, on board and four suffered minor injuries that did not require hospital treatment.

A spokesperson for Avanti said: "It is likely there will be significant disruption to our network for a number of days."

The derailment has also hit TransPennine Express services which use the West Coast Mainline.

James Burrow, who was on the derailed service, said "there was a flash and a bang," before staff quickly informed passengers the train had derailed.

He said he was escorted off the train at 08:50 to go to the nearby Shap Wells Hotel.

"People were confused but calm," Mr Burrow said.

"At first we thought a car or something had hit the train.

"I was taking a picture of the train and a man came and said 'I was driving that'.

"He's kind of a hero really, it could have been a lot worse."

After being kept at the hotel, passengers were transferred to two coaches - one heading to London and the other going back up to Scotland.

Campbell Watson, from Glasgow, told BBC Radio Cumbria: "I was sleeping and there was a big jolt on the train, a real big screech and then all of a sudden the train came to a stop and the power went off.

"It was a very shocking experience."

Network Rail confirmed a landslip had occurred in the area before the train derailed, however it was still trying to determine whether that was the cause of the service coming off the tracks.

BBC Weather lead presenter Helen Willetts said it was a wet weekend in Cumbria.

"In the last three days, 77.4mm of rain has fallen," she said.

"It's a wet time of year, but that's over a third of the expected rainfall for November."

Shap Parish Council chairman Jean Jackson said "the rain is phenomenal" around Cumbria.

Combined with the "steep slopes" that are next to the railway line, she was "not surprised" that there was a landslip.

Last year there were delays after heavy rain caused a landslip on the same stretch of track.

Director of operations at Network Rail Sam MacDougall said Cumbria posed these "specific challenges" because of the regional weather and topography.

The disruption will continue until at least the end of Monday as lines remain blocked by the derailed train. This means:

• Avanti West Coast services travelling southbound from Edinburgh or Glasgow Central to London Euston will be cancelled
• Avanti trains coming north from London will run to Preston only
• Scotrail and some Avanti trains are running south as far as Carlisle
• TransPennine services from Edinburgh and Glasgow heading to Liverpool or Manchester will run until Carlisle
• Services coming from Liverpool or Manchester will run until Preston

TransPennine has warned that an hourly rail replacement bus running between Preston and Carlisle is "proving difficult" due to the limited supply of coaches.

Tickets for travel on Monday will be accepted on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Avanti and TransPennine tickets are being accepted on the following services:

• Between London King's 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
• Between Preston and Manchester Piccadilly with Northern and TransPennine Express

On the West Coast Mainline itself, trains from the south were travelling no further than Preston, while services from the north were terminating at Carlisle.

The Liberal Democrat MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale, Tim Farron, said he has spoken to Network Rail about the damage to the line and what the next steps would be.

He said he will be raising the issue in the House of Commons with the transport secretary and discussing the long term infrastructure on the West Coast Mainline.

Scotland's First Minister John Swinney said he was "very concerned" about the derailment and it was an "absolute relief" that no-one was injured.

He said he was in touch with the UK government to make sure anyone affected was "properly supported".