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, National Rail Enquiries said.
Services in Lancashire and Cumbria have been suspended and disruption is expected for the rest of the day.
Kara Wood, Network Rail’s acting North West route strategy director, said: “We’re sorry to passengers affected by the derailment. We have specialist repair teams on site working as fast as they can to make the railway safe.
“Disruption is expected for the rest of the day, so we’re urging people to plan their journeys and check before they travel with their train operator or National Rail Enquiries.”
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.
In a message to customers, Avanti West Coast said: “Services 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.”
Meanwhile, TransPennine Express added: “Due to severe disruption on the West Coast Main Line, customers travelling north of Preston are advised not to travel.
“Due to an extremely limited train service as well as difficulty in sourcing road transport, customers travelling between Preston and Glasgow Central and between Preston and Edinburgh in both directions are advised not to travel.”
Ticket holders can delay journeys until Friday or travel with other operators.