A “do not travel” alert has been issued after a freight train derailed on a major route between England and Scotland.
Services are being cancelled and delayed because of the incident on the West Coast Main Line between Carlisle and Oxenholme Lake District on Wednesday night (May 29) just before 5pm, National Rail Enquiries added. Some lines are blocked and a very limited train service is running on the line that remains open.
Train operators Avanti West Coast and TransPennine Express issued the “do not travel” alert, urging passengers not to attempt to use their services for journeys between Preston and Scotland on Thursday. Nobody was injured during the derailment, but more than 15 hours later, there are still major delays for people.
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Some lines are blocked and a very limited train service is running on the line that remains open.
A statement from Avanti West Coast said: “Do not travel north of Preston. Services between between Oxenholme Lake District and Penrith have been cancelled due to a freight train derailment blocking the line. Please do not attempt to travel with us between Preston and Scotland today.”
TransPennine Express said disruption was expected until at least 2pm. Ticket holders can delay journeys until Friday or travel with other operators. Network Rail was approached for a comment.