TRAIN services in West Yorkshire were badly disrupted on Thursday after a tractor ran on to the main line near Wakefield, bringing down an overhead gantry and a tree.
The incident on Wednesday night was at Fitzwilliam, between Wakefield and Doncaster, and tripped the OHLE breakers when the gantry fell, dragging the power lines with it.
According to LNER, the tractor ‘had broken the field boundary’ from a nearby farm and rolled on to the line.
There does not seem to have been anyone on board the tractor, and there were no reports of any injuries, but trains on a number of routes were being diverted or replaced by buses. The operators affected were LNER, Northern, CrossCountry and East Midlands Trains.
The tractor was removed at about 05.40 on Thursday, and Network Rail hoped to complete repairs by 18.00.
An investigation has been launched into the cause of the apparent runaway.
Meanwhile, services have been restored on the Cross City line in Birmingham after two trees fell on to the line north of University station on 14 August and again overnight on 15 August. Overhead power lines were damaged.
Ntetwork Rail engineers removed both trees, cut back other vegetation, stabilised the embankment, repaired the OHLE and completed safety inspections. The line reopened just after 21.00 on Wednesday..