A TRAIN derailed after striking a landslip at 80mph sparking a major incident in Cumbria yesterday — but miraculously left only four people with minor injuries.

Unions called for a thorough investigation after the 11-carriage 4.28am Avanti West Coast service from Glasgow to Euston came off the tracks near the village of Shap.

Network Rail operations director Sam MacDougall said that early indications suggested the train had hit a landslip “at approximately 80 miles an hour at the point of collision and then stopped very quickly thereafter.”

A total of 87 people, including 10 members of staff, were on board when the front coach derailed at about 6.15am during severe weather conditions and while it was still dark.

Mr MacDougall said: “On arrival of the emergency services and the Network Rail staff, all of whom worked in extremely challenging terrain and appalling weather conditions this morning, all persons on board the train were safely removed and brought to a nearby reception centre.

“By 10.40 this morning, all customers had been safely taken forward to their onward destinations by replacement road transport.

“Our attention now turns to investigating the cause and recovering the railway as quickly as we can.”

North West Ambulance Service said it had stood down from major incident status having assessed 87 patients, with only four suffering minor injuries and none requiring further hospital treatment.

TSSA general secretary Maryam Eslamdoust described the incident as troubling, adding: “The derailment of the Avanti West Coast train near Shap is very serious and will require thorough investigation. 

“Our union has thousands of Network Rail members who work incredibly hard every day of the year, making sure our railways run safely. This is always our number one priority.”

Train drivers’ union Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan said: “While we understand that there are many cuttings, embankments, bridges, and viaducts on the 10,000 miles of line on our railway network, it is vital that Network Rail has the money to ensure that landslips, and other failures, do not happen.”

An RMT spokesperson commended “the professionalism of all the railway staff involved in keeping passengers safe.”

The derailment comes two days after unions called for a safety review following a stabbing spree in a train in Cambridgeshire.