A major incident was declared and emergency services were dispatched after the 4.28am Avanti West Coast service from Glasgow to Euston came off the rails between stations in Shap, which is on the West Coast Main Line, at 6.10am.
The train derailed between Penrith North Lakes and Oxenholme Lake District stations, with all lines between the two stops now blocked causing severe disruptions expected to last until the end of the day.
Passengers onboard were escorted off the train three hours after it came off the tracks.
A total of 87 people out of the 130 passengers onboard were assessed by paramedics, with four found to have sustained 'minor injuries - despite earlier reports of 'no injuries' from Network Rail and Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander.
Emergency services remain at the scene but the derailment is no longer being treated as a major incident.
The owner of the hotel where passengers and crew from the derailed Avanti West Coast train took refuge said they arrived ‘shocked but calm’.
Emergency personal ferried people to the nearby Shap Wells Hotel, where they were comforted and given tea and coffee, before they were put onto coaches.
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Owner Shabeeh Hassan, 19, who took over the country retreat about six months ago, said: ‘We usually have tourists coming from all round the country, but we did not expect anything like what happened this morning.
‘Some police officers came in about 7.30am and told me there had been an incident on the rail track and can the people involved come in. I said "yes, why not".
‘And then they started bringing in the people by vehicles. It is about a five minute drive to our hotel from the site, I believe.
‘We gave them towels and served them tea and coffee, and then breakfast.
‘We got them comfy and when they were comfy they are left on three coaches.
‘Basically, they were shocked but calm when they arrived. They had obviously been through quite an experience. Thankfully no one was hurt. We were happy to help out.’
North West Ambulance Service said: '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.'
A landslip is thought to have taken place before the derailment due to heavy rain.
Images show the train in between two separate tracks with significant damage to the front on the vehicle.
The area where the derailment took place is particularly difficult to access because the track is raised high up from the ground.
Speaking to LBC Radio and BBC Radio 4 this morning, the Transport Secretary said: 'I have been informed of this incident within the last half an hour or so. I know that a major incident has been stood up. There are no reported injuries.
'We will work swiftly to make sure that people can get off the train safely. I will be remaining in constant touch with the train operating company and the railway accident investigation branch.'
Speaking on BBC Radio 4, Ms Alexander said her officials are in touch with train operating companies Avanti West Coast and Network Rail and the rail accident investigation branch.
'I will remain in touch with all the appropriate authorities to make sure this situation comes to a safe conclusion and that we understand exactly what caused this to happen in the first place,' she added.
The derailed train was due to arrive at Oxenholme Lake District before it came off the tracks near Shap this morning.
It was scheduled to make further stops in Lancaster, Preston, Wigan North Western and Warrington Bank Quay before terminating at London Euston at 9.15am.
In a post on X, Tim Farron, MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale and former Liberal Democrat leader, said: 'I'm deeply concerned to hear the news coming out of Shap this morning.
'My thoughts are with everyone on board the train and the emergency service workers who are now on the scene.'
An Avanti West Coast spokesman said: 'At 6.10am today, November 3, the 4.28am Avanti West Coast service from Glasgow to Euston was reported to have derailed at Shap in Cumbria.
'Our priority is the wellbeing of everyone who was board and getting them safely off the train. We are assisting emergency services who are on the scene.
'As a result, all lines are blocked north of Preston. Please do not attempt to travel north of Preston today.
'We'll provide further information in due course, but it is likely there will be significant disruption to our network for a number of days.'
Avanti West Coast said earlier on social media all lines are blocked between Penrith North Lakes and Oxenholme Lake District due to the derailment, adding: 'We are strongly advising customers not to travel north of Preston today.'
The train firm added that services running through these stations may be cancelled or delayed by up to 120 minutes but rail replacement buses are operating between Carlisle and Preston.
A Network Rail spokesman earlier said: 'We're investigating a train derailment near Shap in Cumbria following a report by a train driver. There are no reports of injuries and we're working to safely move the passengers off the train. We will provide further updates as soon as we can.
'The incident followed a suspected landslip in the area which has been experiencing significant adverse weather conditions and extremely heavy rainfall continues to compound the issue.
'Our dedicated teams are working to get trains back up and running as quickly as we can. We are working with the Rail Accident Investigation Branch to establish the cause of the derailment.
‘Right now, we’re unable to run trains between Preston and Carlisle. We’re urging passengers to check with their train operator or National Rail Enquiries for the latest information.
‘This 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. We appreciate the patience of passengers while we work to resolve this issue.’
Posts on X from National Rail this morning said the Transpennine Express line has been impacted.
It said: 'Major disruption between Carlisle and Preston expected until the end of the day.
'A derailed train between Penrith and Oxenholme means all lines are blocked. Trains running between Carlisle and Preston may be delayed by up to 120 minutes or cancelled.'
British Transport Police said in an earlier statement on social media: 'Officers were called at 6.15am today to reports of a train derailment near Shap, Cumbria.
'Thankfully, there are no reported casualties and passengers have been safely escorted from the train.
'Officers remain on scene alongside emergency services responding to the incident.'
The incident follows a rail crash in Carmont five years earlier near Stonehaven in Scotland.
Three people died, including the train driver, as a result of the accident which took place in August 2020 after a Scotrail inter-city train was also derailed by a landslide.
Network Rail was fined £6.7m for health and safety failings which led to the accident.
Shap is also around 15 miles north of Grayrigg, where a train operated by Avanti’s predecessor Virgin Trains derailed at 95mph due to faulty points in February 2007 – killing one passenger and injuring over 80 people.
Network Rail was later fined £4m over the health and safety failings in relation to the crash, in which Margaret Masson, 84, from Glasgow, died.
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