Voyagers are new to the network

The fire brigade said passengers on the Virgin Voyager train from Glasgow to Poole had a lucky escape from the fire in one of its undercarriages.

Virgin staff attempted to tackle the fire using the train's own equipment but gave up and local fire crews were called to Penrith railway station. at 1345 GMT on Friday.

'More serious'

Divisional Officer Robert Nixon, who was one of the first on the scene, said there had been a "medium-sized fire" under a carriage.

He added that the location of the fire made it difficult to tackle.

He praised staff at the station for their quick actions and said if the brigade had arrived any later, the outbreak could have been much more serious.

Virgin Trains said it would be holding a full technical investigation.