Here's why just one broken down train shut down all lines at Leeds Station yesterday

Passengers arrived at Leeds Station on Wednesday afternoon to scenes of 'mayhem'.

A Northern service from Manchester Victoria 'decoupled' on the approach to the station, meaning its two units became partially detached just after 3pm.

All lines were then blocked while engineers moved the stranded train into the station and evacuated its 40 passengers onto the tracks.

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Many passengers took to social media to question why all services were delayed during the incident when only one line was directly affected.

Network Rail have now confirmed that the shutdown was a simple safety procedure implemented while there were members of the public and railway staff on the tracks.

It would have been unsafe for trains on any line to continue running during the evacuation.

Residual delays to services affected travel until around 8pm and photos show huge crowds on the platforms during the disruption. Platform 11 was also out of use while the locomotive was examined.

A statement said:

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“The location of the incident on the track to the south of Leeds yesterday meant that for a short period of time all lines into the station were closed to protect railway staff and the evacuated passengers. Passengers were evacuated, the train safely moved and all lines were reopened within in an hour of the incident being reported. While we apologise for the delays caused to those travelling to and from Leeds during the evening rush hour, the safety of passengers and railway workers is always our priority.”