Rail commuters’ have been left frustrated after flooding, broken-down trains and landslides caused major delays and cancellations on three separate occasions within the past month.

Rail lines between Bradford Forster Square and Ilkley were re-opened yesterday after being closed following flooding on the line and a broken-down train at Shipley , said Network Rail.

It was the latest of three incidents which have seen disruption to services affecting hundreds of rail passengers.

Tim Calow, chairman of the Aire Valley Rail Users Group, said: “There are a lot of people who are very much dependent on the train services, so it is important that the railway is maintained properly and, that when things go wrong, there is some kind of replacement service available.”

Northern Rail, which provides services in the Bradford district, temporarily suspended services following flash flooding during rush hour on Wednesday.

There were previous disruptions following land slips in Baildon on August 5, which brought services to an immediate halt while engineers re-filled a void beneath the track caused by earth being washed away and to build a new embankment.

Network Rail, which is responsible for maintenance on the nation’s railways, said the damage cost up to £50,000 to repair.

Services between Ilkley and Leeds were affected for two days in late July following another land slip near Apperley tunnel, causing delays to journey times on the Wharfedale lines.

Jocelyn Rankin, a spokesman for Northern Rail, said: “The recent severe weather we have experienced in the region has been the cause of some disruption, including localised flooding and landslips at Baildon and Guiseley on the busy Wharfedale line.

“We work closely with industry partners to monitor known locations where this kind of disruption has happened in the past in order to prepare should any issues arise and respond quickly.

“These acts of ‘Mother Nature’ are notoriously difficult to prepare for.

“We always do our best to minimise disruption to passengers and try where possible, when we must stop trains running for safety reasons, to divert services and offer replacement road transport, rather than cancel them all together.”