In a new statement, Gary Walsh, Director for Network Rail’s West Coast South route, has said: “We are responding to an incident involving a low-speed train derailment in Bletchley at 12:27 this afternoon (26 June). The train was not in service and all staff on board are safe.

“For safety reasons, all lines between Milton Keynes and Bletchley were temporarily closed and we have worked quickly to reopen two of the four tracks on the West Coast Main Line.

“Although some trains are running again, we expect this incident to cause significant disruption to journeys today and we are working to recover the timetable as quickly as possible.

“We are very sorry to passengers whose journeys are affected and urge people to check before they travel at www.nationalrail.co.uk.”