Monday 3 Nov 2025
Update on disruption for passengers after Shap train derailment
- Region & Route:
- North West & Central
Investigations are continuing following a train derailment near Shap in Cumbria early this morning.
The train involved was travelling from Glasgow Central to London Euston when the driver reported hitting an object, causing the front carriage to derail at around 6.10am.
Fortunately, no passengers were hurt in the incident, and all were evacuated from the train to a nearby hotel and then sent by road to their destinations.
Network Rail engineers are working with the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) to determine the cause of the derailment. It followed a suspected landslip that occurred in the area.
The derailment has blocked the opposite line, and, while teams are working hard to reopen the railway, no trains will run between Preston and Carlisle throughout tomorrow (Tuesday 4 November).
Phil James, North West Route Director for Network Rail, said:
“We want to thank passengers for their patience while we have investigated this extremely complex incident.
“Now that the RAIB staff have finished their investigation our team can begin the work of reopening the railway. We will need to move the train before we begin the repair work necessary to get services moving safely as soon as possible.
“This incident will continue to cause disruption for the rest of the day and we’re urging passengers to check with their train operator or National Rail Enquiries for the latest information."
For up-to-date travel information and detail on alternative travel please check www.nationalrail.co.uk.
Notes to Editors
- In response to the wetter weather we are experiencing, £30 million is being invested on earthworks in Lancashire and Cumbria over the next four years. This will stabilise embankments, track beds, and cuttings.
- In addition, as part of a wider investment, Network Rail is delivering a West Coast North Modernisation Programme that involves an upgrade of the Warrington Bank Quay–Carlisle corridor to futureproof one of the North’s most vital passenger and freight routes. With £323 million already committed for the next four years, the programme is introducing modern signalling and simplifying infrastructure to boost train service capacity and reliability.
Contact information
Passengers / community members
Network Rail national helpline
03457 11 41 41
Latest travel advice
Please visit National Rail Enquiries
Journalists
Network Rail press office - North West & Central Region
0330 854 0100
NWCmediarelations@networkrail.co.uk
About Network Rail
We own, operate and develop Britain's railway infrastructure; that's 20,000 miles of track, 30,000 bridges, tunnels and viaducts and the thousands of signals, level crossings and stations. We run 20 of the UK's largest stations while all the others, over 2,500, are run by the country's train operating companies.
Usually, there are almost five million journeys made in the UK and over 600 freight trains run on the network. People depend on Britain's railway for their daily commute, to visit friends and loved ones and to get them home safe every day. Our role is to deliver a safe and reliable railway, so we carefully manage and deliver thousands of projects every year that form part of the multi-billion pound Railway Upgrade Plan, to grow and expand the nation's railway network to respond to the tremendous growth and demand the railway has experienced - a doubling of passenger journeys over the past 20 years.
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