Four people suffered minor injuries after an Avanti West Coast train derailed at 80mph, striking a landslide in Cumbria early on Monday morning. The 4.28am service from Glasgow to London Euston, carrying 87 individuals including 10 staff members, came off the tracks near the village of Shap. Network Rail confirmed the front carriage of the 11-coach train derailed around 6.15am amid severe weather and darkness.
Sam MacDougall, Network Rail operations director, said early indications suggested the train had hit a landslide. “We believe the train was travelling at approximately 80 miles an hour at the point of collision and then stopped very quickly thereafter,” he said. He added that all passengers were safely removed and taken to a nearby reception centre, with onward travel arranged by replacement road transport by 10.40am.
The North West Ambulance Service assessed all 87 patients, with only four sustaining minor injuries. None required hospital treatment, and all were discharged from the rest centre. The service has stood down from major incident status and is withdrawing resources from the scene.
Scotland’s first minister John Swinney described the derailment as a “terrifying experience” for those involved and stressed that rail travel is normally very safe. Avanti West Coast has advised customers not to travel north of Preston, warning of disruption expected to last “for a number of days”. Andy Mellors, managing director for Avanti West Coast, thanked staff, emergency services, Network Rail and a local hotel for their response.
