Passengers have described scenes of 'panic and distress' after an Avanti West Coast train travelling at about 80mph partially derailed following a landslide on the west coast mainline in Cumbria on Monday morning. The Glasgow to London Euston service, carrying 77 passengers and ten crew, struck debris at around 6.15am near Shap, the highest point on the route. Emergency services declared a major incident, but no injuries were reported.
Nathan Cunningham, 20, who was on board, told the Guardian: 'I looked along the carriage and there was panic. The staff were running through the carriages checking if everyone was OK. The passengers were quite distressed and the staff seemed shocked by it.' James Burrow said he felt a 'flash and a bang' before the train came to a sudden halt. Passengers were evacuated in the dark and driving rain, walking along the side of the line to safety.
MP Tim Farron, whose Westmorland and Lonsdale constituency includes the site, expressed 'utter dread and horror' at the initial reports and relief that no one was hurt. He questioned whether enough was being spent on the stretch of line between Carlisle and Glasgow, which is prone to landslips. He pointed to the indefinite postponement of the TriLink modernisation programme as a factor, though he acknowledged the cause of the derailment was not yet known.
Network Rail's operations director, Sam MacDougall, said early indications suggested the train struck a landslide. He praised the train's design for remaining upright and the driver's actions. 'We put a significant amount of importance and effort into managing our risks around structures, earthworks and extreme weather,' he said, adding that such incidents are 'exceptionally rare'. The Rail Accident Investigation Branch is investigating.
