Railway line to reopen after Glasgow to London train derailed

The West Coast Main Line is to reopen after a train from Glasgow to London derailed on Monday morning.

Emergency services worked to get passengers off the train safely after it “hit a landslide” at 80mph in Cumbria.

Avanti West Coast said its 4.28am service from Glasgow to Euston came off the tracks at 6.10am near the village of Shap.

85 passengers plus train staff on board were evacuated from the train. Four people suffered “minor injuries”.

Extensive repair work was carried out by Network Rail engineers at the scene of the derailment, between Preston and Carlisle.

The damaged train was removed before engineers repaired the overhead line equipment, tracks and the surrounding bankings and groundworks.

The first passenger services to run on the line will be the overnight Caledonian Sleeper services.

Phil James, North West Route Director for Network Rail, said: “We’re thankful to passengers for their patience during this disruption.

“Our teams have worked extremely hard in very challenging conditions to make sure the West Coast Main Line can be reopened to the public as soon as possible.

Repairs have been completed on the line. Network Rail

“Passengers should now check with train operators for the latest information on their services for tomorrow morning.”

Managing Director at Avanti West Coast, Andy Mellors, added: “I would firstly like to thank our customers for their patience and understanding during what has been an extremely challenging time.

“Not only have our staff, industry colleagues and the emergency services been rightly praised by customers for their response to the incident as well as the disruption, but Network Rail as well as other industry partners have also been working hard to restore the infrastructure and clear the route.

“The advice remains that we strongly advise customers continue to check the Avanti West Coast website and National Rail enquiries for the latest travel updates.”