Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has delivered an on-air update following a “very unusual” train derailment near Shap, Cumbria, on the West Coast mainline early this morning.
North West Ambulance Service declared a major incident just before 6.30am after reports of the derailment.
Around 85 passengers and train staff were on board at the time, and the service said its Hazardous Area Response Team was on site, triaging and offering welfare support to those involved.
The Transport Secretary told GB News: “An Avanti West Coast service has derailed, which is very unusual. I am told there are no reported injuries at the moment, and emergency services have been dispatched as a precaution.
Heidi Alexander said that it is a ‘very unusual’ incident
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GB NEWS
“Our immediate priority is to get passengers safely off the train so they can continue their journeys and get home.
“Network Rail and Avanti West Coast, the train operating company, are on site to manage the situation and ensure arrangements are in place for everyone affected.
“A thorough investigation will be conducted by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch to understand exactly what happened and to prevent a recurrence.
“Based on all the information I have, this derailment is completely unrelated to the incident that occurred on Saturday.”
Officers were to reports of a train derailment near Shap, Cumbria around 6.15am today.
No casualties have been reported, and passengers were escorted from the train.
Officers remain on scene alongside emergency services responding to the incident.
Trains running between Carlisle and Preston may be delayed by up to 120 minutes or cancelled.
Major disruption is expected until the end of the day.
A spokesman for Avanti West Coast said: “At 06.10hrs today, 3 November, the 0428 Avanti West Coast service from Glasgow to Euston was reported to have derailed at Shap in Cumbria.
“Our priority is the wellbeing of everyone who was on board and getting them safely off the train.
“We are assisting emergency services who are on the scene.
“As a result, all lines are blocked north of Preston.
“Please do not attempt to travel north of Preston today.
“We’ll provide further information in due course, but it is likely there will be significant disruption to our network for a number of days.”