Delays as tractor ploughs over West Yorkshire rail track
- Published
The fire service worked to remove the tractor, which was tangled in a damaged gantry
A tractor towing a trailer damaged tracks and overhead electric wires after it rolled on to a railway line, causing major disruption to services.
The vehicle demolished a gantry at Fitzwilliam, near Wakefield, West Yorkshire, at 20:55 BST on Wednesday.
It was removed at about 05:40 BST, but passengers were warned of delays on services to Leeds, London, Glasgow and Plymouth due to repair work.
Services were disrupted until 13:00 when the line opened.
No injuries were reported and no arrests have been made, British Transport Police said.
The tractor towing a trailer was found on the tracks covered by an uprooted tree and was removed early on Thursday morning
Pictures of the scene show an uprooted tree on top of the tractor, which stopped on the tracks.
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The tractor "broke the field boundary from a nearby farm" and rolled on to the line, London North Eastern Railway (LNER) said.
West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said it caused the "electric to trip" when it hit the overhead lines.
Network Rail said all services would be back to normal once "further engineering repairs" were complete
The tractor was stuck on the tracks for more than eight hours before it was removed
Callum Stringfellow tweeted, external it was "amazing how one tractor can cause unbridled chaos on a grand scale".
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Others expressed surprise at the cause of the delays, with one person calling it a good excuse for a lack of services "for once"., external
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National Rail apologised for the disruptions and thanked passengers "for their patience", but warned travellers to expect "residual delays" and urged them to check journey times before travelling.
In a statement, it said: "Network Rail engineers together with the emergency services worked through the night to remove the tractor and carry out emergency repairs. Some services were able to resume running at 10:30 and this was followed by a full service on the lines from 13:00.
Electric trains operated by London North Eastern Railway are currently coasting through the affected area prior to further engineering work taking place overnight."