Commuters faced massive disruption today after a freight train broke down at Keighley.

Passengers were stranded on trains behind the freight carrier for up to two hours after it broke down on its way from Skipton to Leeds shortly after 6.40am.

Eighteen services were cancelled from Skipton and Leeds stations as another locomotive was sent out to move the stranded freight train. Alternative transport was then laid on for passengers to transport them between Keighley and Shipley.

Meanwhile, angry passengers crowded Forster Square station as they waited for delayed services out of the city.

Station manager for the Bradford area, Tony Pilling, said: "Unfortunately, there has been a delay to some services on the Airedale line this morning. A freight train broke down at Keighley and passengers had to wait until an alternative locomotive came to assist.

"The problem was that services could be sent up to Skipton, but they couldn't get back down to Bradford again, which resulted in delays for commuters wanting to travel out of the city." Commuters between Halifax and Bradford also faced disruption to their journeys after a train hit an object, believed to be a small animal, in a tunnel about 7.20am.

Today's delays conclude a second day of disruption for passengers in the district, after a train failure on the Leeds to Skipton line yesterday led to delays between Baildon and Forster Square.

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