Overturned car on rail line at Shipley halts trains

Twitter picture of the overturned car on the track at Shipley

A CAR accident left a vehicle overturned on a busy rail line into Leeds and its driver being taken to hospital, with train services held up for more than two hours this morning.

Pictures showed the car flipped over on its roof near Shipley station on a route operated by Northern Rail.

A spokeswoman for British Transport Police (BTP) said: “BTP officers were called to Shipley railway station today following reports that a car had crashed through a fence and onto the track near the station.

“The incident was reported to BTP at 9.13am.”

The spokeswoman went on: “On arrival officers discovered a blue Skoda Estate had crashed though a fence and onto the tracks near Victoria Street bridge.

“The driver of the vehicle suffered minor injuries and was taken to Bradford Royal Infirmary for treatment. The car was removed from the line at 10.55am and inquiries are continuing to determine how it came to be on the tracks.”

Trans between Leeds, Bradford and Skipton were cancelled, with some services to and from Ilkley also affected.

It was not until around 11.30am that trains were able to run through the area, with delays persisting into the early afternoon.

It was further north in Yorkshire - at Selby - that a vehicle coming on to the line caused a two-train crash that claimed 10 lives in February 2001.

The vehicle, a Land Rover with a trailer, was driven by Gary Hart who was later jailed for five years for causing death by dangerous driving.