A passenger train traveling from Glasgow to London derailed early Monday morning in northern England after colliding with a landslide near the rural village of Shap in Cumbria.

All 85 passengers and crew were safely evacuated, with only four sustaining minor injuries.

The incident occurred around 4:30 a.m. on the West Coast Main Line, one of the UK’s busiest rail corridors, which runs through the scenic but landslide-prone hills of northwest England. The Avanti West Coast service was moving at moderate speed when it struck debris loosened by overnight rainfall, causing the front carriage to leave the tracks but remain upright.

Emergency services—including British Transport Police, North West Ambulance Service, and Cumbria Fire and Rescue—arrived within 20 minutes and coordinated a calm evacuation using ladders and onboard staff. British Transport Police Chief Superintendent Chris Casey praised the swift response and the train’s safety design, calling the outcome “miraculous.”

Avanti West Coast operations director Kathryn O’Brien apologized for the disruption and confirmed that alternative transport to London was arranged via buses and taxis. Network Rail has closed the affected section of the line north of Preston, warning of delays up to 12 hours and estimating full service restoration by Friday.

The landslide, attributed to lingering effects of Storm Brendan, underscores the vulnerability of Cumbria’s terrain, which has seen 15 similar disruptions in the past five years. Engineers began clearing the site Sunday, with partial service expected to resume midweek.

Shap’s remote location complicated logistics, but local volunteers assisted responders. Passenger Mary Ellis, 52, described the moment of impact: “It lurched hard, but we stayed calm – everyone helped each other out.”

The derailment follows a major signaling fault in September 2024 that stranded over 1,000 passengers, renewing scrutiny of aging infrastructure across Britain’s rail network. Authorities are urging caution in flood-prone areas, though no further rain is forecast until Wednesday.