Tilting Pendolino Train Crashes in UK
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6391633.stm
One dead in Cumbria train crash
Services between Preston and Carlisle were suspended
A passenger has died and dozens have been injured after a train derailed and some of its carriages slid down an embankment in Cumbria.
Ambulance crews said three were in a critical condition in hospital.
Nine carriages were left on their side after the crash at Grayrigg near Kendal, with passengers saying some were left "stuck up in the air".
The Virgin train, the 1715 from London Euston due to arrive at Glasgow Central at 2154 GMT, crashed at 2015 GMT.
Neither Virgin nor Network Rail have yet been able to say what might have caused the crash.
RAF helicopters, police and fire crews have been sent to the scene of collision, between Oxenholme and Tebay in the Lake District.
The train had about 180 people on board, the fire service said.
A spokesman for the University Hospitals Of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust said there had been one fatality.
He said five passengers with severe injuries had been taken to the Royal Lancaster Infirmary.
The Royal Preston Hospital said 12 passengers had so far been airlifted in. It has three casualties described as being in a "critical condition", and one serious.
All but one of the train's carriages had totally come off the tracks, a Cumbria Ambulance Service spokeswoman said.
Passengers coming off the train were assessed on the scene and any minor injuries would be treated there if possible, she added.
One of the passengers, BBC executive Caroline Thomson, said the train "did a sort of bump - and I was thinking don't worry this fine - but then the swaying became very dramatic.
"It suddenly appeared to hit something and then lurched very, very badly from side to side in a very dramatic way. This a very scary experience."
The Pendolino tilting trains have been introduced by Virgin over the last three years and have a top speed of 145 mph.
Network Rail said the line speed for the area where the crash took place was about 95 mph.
Virgin services between Preston and Carlisle have been suspended until further notice and alternative arrangements for customers, using road vehicles, are being made.
All Scotrail sleeper services to London have also been cancelled, with passengers being transferred to coach services.
Another passenger on the train, Ruth Colton, said: "I was just reading a book and it started to get really bumpy like we were being battered by heavy winds or something and then suddenly the carriage flipped over.
"We all had to climb out the top of one of ours... There's some carriages stuck up in the air and some are just lying on their side".
People worried about friends or relatives on the train are asked to ring a British Transport Police family liaison centre on 0800 40 50 40.
Passengers, meanwhile, are being advised to ring National Rail Enquiries on 08457 48 49 50 before starting journeys.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6391633.stm
One dead in Cumbria train crash
Services between Preston and Carlisle were suspended
A passenger has died and dozens have been injured after a train derailed and some of its carriages slid down an embankment in Cumbria.
Ambulance crews said three were in a critical condition in hospital.
Nine carriages were left on their side after the crash at Grayrigg near Kendal, with passengers saying some were left "stuck up in the air".
The Virgin train, the 1715 from London Euston due to arrive at Glasgow Central at 2154 GMT, crashed at 2015 GMT.
Neither Virgin nor Network Rail have yet been able to say what might have caused the crash.
RAF helicopters, police and fire crews have been sent to the scene of collision, between Oxenholme and Tebay in the Lake District.
The train had about 180 people on board, the fire service said.
A spokesman for the University Hospitals Of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust said there had been one fatality.
He said five passengers with severe injuries had been taken to the Royal Lancaster Infirmary.
The Royal Preston Hospital said 12 passengers had so far been airlifted in. It has three casualties described as being in a "critical condition", and one serious.
All but one of the train's carriages had totally come off the tracks, a Cumbria Ambulance Service spokeswoman said.
Passengers coming off the train were assessed on the scene and any minor injuries would be treated there if possible, she added.
One of the passengers, BBC executive Caroline Thomson, said the train "did a sort of bump - and I was thinking don't worry this fine - but then the swaying became very dramatic.
"It suddenly appeared to hit something and then lurched very, very badly from side to side in a very dramatic way. This a very scary experience."
The Pendolino tilting trains have been introduced by Virgin over the last three years and have a top speed of 145 mph.
Network Rail said the line speed for the area where the crash took place was about 95 mph.
Virgin services between Preston and Carlisle have been suspended until further notice and alternative arrangements for customers, using road vehicles, are being made.
All Scotrail sleeper services to London have also been cancelled, with passengers being transferred to coach services.
Another passenger on the train, Ruth Colton, said: "I was just reading a book and it started to get really bumpy like we were being battered by heavy winds or something and then suddenly the carriage flipped over.
"We all had to climb out the top of one of ours... There's some carriages stuck up in the air and some are just lying on their side".
People worried about friends or relatives on the train are asked to ring a British Transport Police family liaison centre on 0800 40 50 40.
Passengers, meanwhile, are being advised to ring National Rail Enquiries on 08457 48 49 50 before starting journeys.