Ian Aikman
Live reporter

Image source, Reuters

People on board the 04:28 service from Glasgow were jolted in their seats at around 06:10 as they came to a screeching halt near Shap, Cumbria.

One of the train’s carriages had derailed, they were told, and they could expect to be delayed for several hours.

Passengers told the BBC they had heard a thud, and the train had rocked and tilted before stopping.

Network Rail’s operations director says early indications suggest the train was travelling at around 80mph when it struck a landslide before it "stopped very quickly".

But the rail operator says the exact cause of the incident is still being investigated.

Avanti West Coast says there were 86 people on board plus rail staff, and four suffered minor injuries.

Pictures from the scene show the front carriage badly damaged, and a video taken by a passenger captured the moment train staff told passengers what had happened.

Avanti says people should not travel north of Preston on its services today, and says disruption on the network will continue for "a number of days".

We’re stopping our live coverage now, but you can find all the latest in our news story.

Avanti West Coast, the rail provider for the derailed service, says the West Coast Main Line will stay closed whilst the site is being inspected.

It also says the line will not be reopened until the train is recovered - but does not say when that will be.

It is advising passengers not to travel to or from destinations on the line north of Preston.

There will be "significant disruption until the route is operational", it says.

Avanti also confirms there were 86 passengers plus rail staff on board when the train derailed.

Paul Hastie
Reporting from Glasgow

Footage sent to BBC News by passenger Ian Murray shows the scene on board the train after it has come off the track.

In the video, a member of staff addresses passengers over the loudspeaker, but the carriage is otherwise quiet and calm.

The announcer says the train has "struck something of quite considerable size and unfortunately one of our coaches has come off the rails".

Passengers are told that a rescue plan is being put together to move them to another train. But there’s an audible gasp when they hear they could be stuck for hours.

Julia Bryson
Live reporter

These new photos clearly show the damage to the front of the train, and debris on the windscreen.

They were shared on X by Gordon Head, known as Nodrog, who is a Blackpool content creator with an interest in adverse weather and the railways.

Image source, Gordon Head/Nodrog

He says he was given the location by one of his contacts in the railway industry, and went to have a look.

"I located the unit just south of the quarry, where Network Rail and British Transport Police are inspecting the damage and derailment," he says.

Image source, Gordon Head/Nodrog

He adds that he doesn't believe the section of rail where the derailment occurred is "full speed" for passenger trains.

Image source, Gordon Head/Nodrog

Image source, Reuters

If you're just joining our live coverage, we've been speaking to several passengers who were aboard Avanti West Coast service when it left the tracks near Shap in Cumbria today. Here's a rundown of what happened, in their words.

• James Burrow heard a "flash and a bang" when the train derailed, adding that "at first we thought a car or something had hit the train"
• Campbell Watson said there was a "big jolt" and a "real big screech," and that the power in his carriage went off
• Passengers on board were told there was an incident, then around 20 minutes later staff said the train had hit a landslide
• Afterwards, they were evacuated from the train and taken to the nearby Shap Wells Hotel, before boarding buses to continue their journeys. "I'm very grateful to the crew and emergency services," Rebecca McCarthy told us

Paul Hastie
Reporting from Glasgow

In Glasgow, the derailment is causing a headache for many passengers still hoping to reach London today.

Several have told BBC News they’ve taken Avanti West Coast’s advice and will delay their travel until tomorrow or later in the week.

But for Christine Kane, she’s desperate to make the journey so she can look after her granddaughter.

"I'm supposed to be picking her up from school at 15:30. I was getting off that train at 14:00 and going straight to get her," she says.

Christine travelled this morning from Livingston, near Edinburgh, to catch the train from Glasgow.

Now she needs to retrace her journey and head to Edinburgh in hope of joining an east coast service on LNER.

Elliot Burrin
Live reporter

I've just spoken to Shap Parish Council chairwoman Jean Jackson, who says the rain has been "exceptionally bad" in the area in recent days.

Jackson says "the rain is phenomenal" around Cumbria, adding she's "not surprised" there was a landslide given the steep slopes next to the railway line.

It's not the first time landslides have affected trains in the area - last year, there were delays after heavy rain flooding caused a landslip between Oxenholme Lake District and Penrith North Lakes.

Sam MacDougall, director of operations at Network Rail, says Cumbria poses these "specific challenges" because of the regional weather and topography.

Helen Willetts
BBC Weather

As we've heard, the area where the landslide occurred has been experiencing poor weather, including heavy rainfall, in recent days.

It’s certainly been a wet weekend in Cumbria. In the last three days, 77.4mm of rain has fallen – it’s a wet time of year, but that’s over a third of the expected rainfall for November.

Last month, Shap had 167.8mm of rain, a little short of the average. However, September was one of the wettest on record.

Cumbria will remain cloudy, damp, mild and windy with fog over the hills throughout the rest of the day.

The rain is likely to turn heavier again overnight and through Tuesday morning. The Met office has issued a warning for heavy rain in Cumbria on Tuesday. With another 30 to 60mm widely and 80mm in prone spots, this could lead to flooding in the area.

As for the rest of the week ahead, rainfall may push above 100mm in parts of Cumbria as further bands of rain arrive off the Atlantic.

Network Rail has issued another update, saying the area where the landslide occurred has been experiencing "significant adverse weather conditions".

"Extremely heavy rainfall continues to compound the issue," it says.

Network Rail's director of operations Sam McDougall told a news conference earlier that early indications suggest the train "struck a landslide".

The latest update says that the infrastructure operator is working with the Rail Accident Investigation Branch to establish the cause.

Network Rail says the incident will cause disruption for the rest of the day "but we are working to reopen the line as soon as it is safe to do so".

Julia Bryson
Live reporter

Image source, Rebecca McCarthy

Rebecca McCarthy boarded the service at Penrith for her daily commute to Wigan about 10 minutes before the train came off the tracks.

"There was a thud, the train rocked and tilted before coming to a stop," she tells the BBC.

"I was in Coach D and passengers closer to the front told me they had seen white flashes of light and heard a huge bang."

She says that afterwards the train crew were "fantastic, bringing round drinks and snacks keeping us all informed".

McCarthy, 54, adds: "All the passengers stayed calm and we did exactly what we were told. Some with flights to catch were evacuated first, which everyone supported.

"I'm very grateful to the crew and emergency services.

"The train manager said it was the reactions of the driver that prevented this from being more serious."

Image source, Getty Images

Scotland's First Minister John Swinney says he is "very concerned" about the derailment which happened as an Avanti train was travelling from Glasgow to London.

He says rail travel is normally very safe but adds that "when these incidents happen, they are matters of enormous concern and require detailed investigation".

"This will have been an absolutely terrifying experience to have witnessed, so it's important that all support is in place for everyone that's affected," Swinney says.

Sam MacDougall, director of operations at Network Rail, has told a news conference the infrastructure operator is undertaking a "full and thorough" investigation into the cause of the derailment.

"Early indications would suggest that the train has struck a landslide just north of where it now stands," MacDougall says.

"The train design has worked extremely well, the vehicle has remained upright," he adds.

Asking during a news conference, broadcast by Sky News, whether the operator should have been aware of the obstacle, MacDougall says Network Rail has devoted a lot of resources to understanding severe weather and topography risks in the area.

He says Cumbria poses "specific challenges" but adds such incidents are "extremely rare".

Network Rail says "major disruption" on the West Coast Main Line will continue until the end of the day. Here's what it says about impacted services:

• Avanti West Coast services travelling southbound from Edinburgh or Glasgow Central to London Euston are cancelled
• Avanti trains coming northbound from London will run to Preston only

• TransPennine services from Edinburgh and Glasgow heading to Liverpool or Manchester will run until Carlisle. Services coming from Liverpool or Manchester will run until Preston

Avanti West Coast is running a shuttle service between Glasgow and Carlisle, and TransPennine are running hourly rail replacement coaches between Carlisle and Preston.

Further delays are expected for a number of days, Avanti says.

Network Rail has now confirmed to the BBC that a "landslip" occurred in the area before the train derailed.

But a spokesperson says they are still trying to determine whether the event was the cause of the service coming off the tracks.

What happened

• The 04:28 train from Glasgow to London came off the tracks around 06:10 GMT near the Cumbrian village of Shap
• The ambulance service says it assessed 87 people - four suffered minor injuries, but none required hospital treatment
• No official explanation has been given - but a rail journalist, and passengers reporting on-board staff, say the train hit a landslide
• A picture shows the front of the train badly damaged and the windscreen covered in what appears to be mud

Passengers speak to the BBC

• There was a "flash and bang" when the train derailed, one passenger says, adding: "People were confused but calm. At first we thought a car or something had hit the train"
• Another passenger says they were asleep at the time, then there was a "a big jolt", a screech, and the the power went off

Disruption to rail services

• The derailment is causing significant disruption on the Avanti West Coast and TransPenine Express services that use the West Coast Mainline
• Avanti West Coast says its network will likely face significant disruption for a "number of days" - it is advising its customers not to travel north of Preston today

Image source, Reuters

Paul Hastie
Reporting from Glasgow

Image source, Reuters

The derailment is causing major disruption to Avanti West Coast and TransPenine Express services that use the West Coast Mainline. This could last for days, Avanti says.

Both operators are urging passengers not to attempt to travel north of Preston today.

Avanti trains run between London Euston and Glasgow while TransPenine services run from Manchester and Liverpool.

Trains will be much busier on east coast routes for passengers travelling to and from Scotland. National Rail has the latest updates on its journey check page here., external

Tickets for affected trains are being accepted on CrossCountry, Northern, ScotRail trains and LNER trains on the East Coast Mainline.

Anyone who is booked on a service that has been delayed or cancelled can also claim Delay Repay compensation., external

Campbell Watson was asleep in coach B, at the back of the train, when it derailed.

"I was sleeping and there was a big jolt on the train, a real big screech and then all of a sudden the train came to a stop and the power went off," he tells BBC Radio Cumbria.

Watson says around 20 minutes later, staff told them the train hit a landslide, caused by heavy rain at the weekend.

"It was a very shocking experience," he says.

"I think the best part about it was the driver and his 30 years of experience. I think he was a bit shook up but he did a good job [keeping everyone safe]."

Watson is now in a coach on his way back to Scotland - he says there is another coach taking other passengers south.

The ambulance service says four people suffered minor injuries, but no one required hospital treatment.

The North West Ambulance Service adds that it has stood down its major incident status.

Here's the statement in full: "We can now confirm that we have stood down from major incident status and are withdrawing resources from the scene.

"Our colleagues have assessed a total of 87 patients, with only four suffering minor injuries.

"No one required further hospital treatment, and all were discharged from the nearby rest centre.

"An operation remains in place with our partners as they continue to recover the scene."

Sian Hall
Reporting from Shap

The police, fire crews and mountain rescue teams have been making their way along this busy stretch of road this morning on the A6.

I'm standing in a lay-by just outside the village of Shap, overlooking where the West Coast Mainline runs through.

You can't actually see it because it's hidden among the fells and it's a very foggy start to the day. The wind is strong with real blustery rain coming in.

Where I am standing is just towards the entrance of the Shap Wells Hotel, which is where people from this train have been taken. Police are at the entrance to the hotel and there is a bus there as well.