A TRAIN has come off the tracks on the line between York and Leeds.

National Rail Enquiries are warning passengers that CrossCountry, LNER, Northern and TransPennine Express services will be affected after an engineering train has derailed in the Church Fenton area.

Consequently, trains between Leeds and York via Church Fenton will be cancelled or diverted. This is expected until the end of the day.

Network Rail said nobody was hurt when five wagons came off the tracks just before 2am, but no trains are currently able to run between Church Fenton and Micklefield and that has led to services between York and Leeds being cancelled, delayed or diverted.

Network Rail workers have been on site since the early hours to inspect the damage caused and establish a plan that removes the derailed train wagons, repairs the damage and gets passenger services back to normal as quickly and safely as possible.

The train was delivering new rail to the area when the incident occurred. Before the train can be removed after a derailment, inspectors from the Rail Accident Investigation Branch will have to examine the scene. There is no indication of the cause at this time.

Passengers who need to travel are strongly advised to check their journey via National Rail Enquiries or with their train operator and allow plenty of time. People should continue to follow the latest Government guidance and minimise travel as much as possible.

Matt Rice, Route Director for Network Rail’s North and East Route, said: “I apologise for the disruption passengers are experiencing today as a result of the derailed engineering train at Church Fenton.

“Our teams have been on site since the early hours of the morning and we are working as quickly as we can to safely remove the train, inspect and repair the infrastructure, and get passenger services back to normal. I am grateful for passengers' patience and advise those who need to travel today to check before they do so.”