Media centre

Tuesday 4 May 2021

Disruption between York and Leeds following engineering train derailment

Region & Route:

Eastern

| Eastern: North & East

Passengers are facing disruption to services this morning after an engineering train derailed at Church Fenton overnight.

Nobody was hurt when five wagons came off the tracks just before 02:00, but no trains are currently able to run between Church Fenton and Micklefield. This means services between York and Leeds are currently 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.

This incident is affecting Northern, CrossCountry, TransPennine Express and LNER services and disruption is expected for at least the rest of the day.

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.”

ENDS