PASSENGERS from the North-East were hit by delays after an express train was derailed on a stretch of track where engineering works had been carried out.

The front two carriages of the GNER train slipped off the tracks at London's King's Cross station today - causing hold-ups on services to and from the capital.

The accident happened as the 7am service to Glasgow left Platform 4 at 10mph. The carriages stayed upright and no one was hurt.

Platforms 1 to 6 remained closed and an emergency timetable was put in place, but by early afternoon the full number of trains were running to and from the North-East with half-hour delays.

A GNER spokesman said: "We are not sure how long the repairs will take but we expect services to be affected certainly for all of Tuesday."

The spokesman said engineering firm Jarvis Rail had been working in the area before the accident but he could not confirm if the works were a contributory factor.

A Jarvis Rail spokesman said: ''We are aware that there was a derailment. We have got an investigation team on site.''

A spokesperson for Network Rail said: ''There is damage to both the train and the track. An investigation has already started into the cause of the accident with the British Transport Police and the Health and Safety Executive.

''We are still assessing the timescale for putting this right although there will certainly be disruption to services in and out of King's Cross for the rest of the day."