A “major incident” has been declared as emergency services were called to a train derailment near Shap in Cumbria earlier this morning.
Rail users across the country face “days” of delays as a result of the incident, in which no passenger injuries were reported.
Emergency services were called to the scene on the line between the stations of Penrith and Oxenholme at around 6.10am.
The derailed train is believed to be the 4.28am Avanti West Coast service from Glasgow Central to London Euston.
Avanti West Coast has told travellers not to attempt to travel north of Preston today as all lines are blocked.
Here’s everything to know about rail cancellations and your refund rights as Avanti predicts “significant disruption to our network for a number of days”.
Which rail lines are blocked?
All lines are currently blocked north of Preston due to the derailed train between Penrith North Lakes and Oxenholme Lake District, said Avanti West Coast.
National Rail added that “major disruption” between Carlisle and Preston is expected until the end of the day.
“If you’re travelling with Avanti West Coast or TransPennine Express between Carlisle and Preston, your train may be cancelled or revised”, said the rail operator in a video.
🎥 #Penrith - A visual disruption map video is now available
— National Rail (@nationalrailenq) November 3, 2025
📢 @AvantiWestCoast @TPExpressTrains #DisruptionVideos
ℹ️ Full video can be found here: https://t.co/hmw860HabU pic.twitter.com/ReBNpkMJ8j
TransPennine Express said train services running between Penrith North Lakes and Oxenholme Lake stations may be cancelled or delayed by up to 120 minutes and that it would “strongly advise customers to avoid travelling between Preston and Edinburgh or Glasgow today”.
Routes including Liverpool Lime Street to Glasgow Central, Carlisle to Glasgow Central and Manchester Airport to Edinburgh are subject to delays and short-notice cancellations.
While passengers may travel on Northern rail routes as an alternative, trains between Barrow and Carlisle, and Corkickle and Whitehaven, are disrupted due to engineering work.
Passengers expecting to travel on East Coast Main Line services have been warned of continued disruption after Saturday evening’s mass stabbing onboard a train from Doncaster to London.
As police continue to investigate the knife attack, rail passengers have been warned: “LNER services between London Kings Cross and Peterborough may be cancelled, revised or delayed.” For more information, read Simon Calder’s guide to the impact of the attack on travel.
What can I do if my train is cancelled?
Passengers travelling with Avanti West Coast can use tickets at no extra cost on some routes with CrossCountry, LNER, Northern and ScotRail, said National Rail.
Tickets will also be valid on the two Avanti West Coast trains directly before or after cancelled trains. More details can be found on the Avanti West Coast website.
Avanti West Coast says that customers with tickets for journeys north of Preston dated 3 November can use their tickets on Tuesday, 4 November, on any Avanti West Coast service via the same route.
Tickets will be accepted on the following alternative routes:
- Between London King's Cross and Edinburgh with LNER
- Between Edinburgh and Glasgow Central with ScotRail
- Between Edinburgh and Birmingham New Street with CrossCountry
- Between Carlisle and Newcastle with Northern
- Between Preston and York with Northern
- Between Preston and Manchester Piccadilly with Northern
- Between Carlisle and Glasgow Central with TransPennine Trains
- Between Carlisle and Edinburgh with TransPennine Trains
Hourly rail replacement buses are running between Carlisle and Preston for TransPennine Express customers, but may “experience severe overcrowding”.
Can I refund my rail ticket?
According to Avanti West Coast, if your journey is abandoned as a result of the disruption, you can claim a “fee-free refund from where you bought your ticket”.
It adds: “If you continued with your journey but were delayed by 15 minutes or more, you can claim Delay Repay compensation from the train company you travelled with.”
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