Evening of commuter chaos looms as Ilkley trains hit again

Hardly any trains have run on the line today, with Network Rail blaming a landslip near Guiseley.

It happened at 5am on Monday near the Apperley Tunnel, following a relatively dry weekend. Passengers travelling between Leeds and Ilkley were advised to change at Shipley.

Services into Leeds have been crippled on several days over the previous two weeks by a combination of broken down trains and signalling problems.

A message on Network Rail’s website this morning said: “Trains between Ilkley and Leeds may be diverted via Shipley and delayed by up to 15 minutes.”

Elsewhere on the site, the company revealed that most services on the route were in fact cancelled.

One commuter said: “It’s been one problem after another on the trains just lately. Backup plans seem to be nonexistent.”

The delays were set to continue through the afternoon peak period, with all trains between Leeds and Ilkley currently reported cancelled.

A spokeswoman for Northern Rail said the problems were expected to continue on Tuesday.