Train travellers face long term disruption after this week's floods.

Engineers are warning it will cost up to £4 million to fully reopen a stretch of railway after a huge landslide during heavy rain and flash floods.

The dramatic incident, which brought 40 tonnes of mud and vegetation crashing down, means the line between Brighouse and Elland remains closed, with disruption set to continue for several months.

The rail service between Selby and Wakefield, via Bradford Interchange and Halifax, is one of the services affected by the blockage.

An amended service is operating on the route and involves a replacement bus between Halifax and Hudders-field.

A large team of engineers is on site trying to rectify the landslip, but access problems are hampering efforts to reopen the line. Network Rail said it could be several months before the problem was fully resolved.

In the meantime, engineers will assess the site to determine if a reduced rail service can operate on the route, with the possibility that the stretch of line could become freight-only for a period.

A Network Rail spokesman said: "It's a major problem. There is a very big team on site. It's not stable for the machinery and there are several problems with access."

Network Rail said its engineers had been aware of potential problems with the bank since the summer and had been monitoring the location.

Dyan Crowther, route director for Network Rail, said: "Although this site was not a problem for us during the floods last summer, engineers were already investigating what action was needed and a speed restriction had been placed on the lines to ensure safety.

"Safety remains our number one priority but we will do all we can to restore services and, where possible, put in suitable diversionary routes.

"I apologise to passengers who have been disrupted and assure them that we are doing all we can to minimise the impact of extreme weather across the network."

A spokesman for train operator Northern Rail said services on the Airedale and Wharfedale lines were now back to normal, while a normal service is also operating between Bradford Interchange and Halifax.