Four people were slightly injured Monday when a train derailed in the early morning following a reported landslide in the remote hills of northwest England, emergency and rail services said.

Dozens of passengers were led off the 4.28am (local time) Avanti West Coast service train from Glasgow in Scotland to London Euston station after it derailed at Shap, Cumbria, a gateway to the more mountainous Lake District.

"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," Network Rail said in a statement.

"The front carriage came off the tracks but remained upright," transport police said, adding that 85 people were escorted off the train.

The incident blocked all train services running north of the northwestern city of Preston, rail services said.

An Avanti spokesperson confirmed the incident occurred at 6.10am (local time).

"Our priority is the wellbeing of everyone who was on board and getting them safely off the train. We are assisting emergency services who are on the scene," the spokesperson added.

The incident came just two days after a mass stabbing on a train on the eastern side of England, when 10 people were injured with one remaining in hospital in critical condition.

A man has been charged with 10 counts of attempted murder following the bloody attack on the London-bound train from northern Doncaster, British Transport Police said Monday. (AFP)