Major Incident: Derailment Blocks WCML

A major incident has been declared after an Avanti West Coast train derailed between Penrith North Lakes and Oxenholme (near Shap) in Cumbria early Monday morning, around 6:30–7:00am. Emergency services, including the North West Ambulance Service, are on scene and Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has been involved; officials say there are no reported injuries so far. Avanti and National Rail say all lines north of Preston are blocked, with major disruption expected until the end of the day. Passengers are strongly advised not to travel north of Preston today; services between Preston and Carlisle face delays up to 120 minutes, cancellations and truncated routes. Some operators (LNER, ScotRail and CrossCountry) are accepting alternative tickets and rail replacement transport is being arranged, and recovery work and on-site assessments are ongoing.