HIGH winds and a broken down train caused long delays for hundreds of rush hour rail

passengers on the Wharfedale line this week.

The bad weather on Tuesday led to a tree crashing on to the track between Burley-in-Wharfedale and Ben Rhydding train stations.

The line was closed immediately as Railtrack staff sent a crew to the site to remove the tree and repair overhead lines which it was feared had been damaged. All trains on the line terminated at Guiseley for most of the morning.

The incident happened at 7.40am as the driver of a train travelling from Leeds to Ilkley noticed the tree on the line before it reached Ben Rhydding station. The train was taken back to Burley-in-Wharfedale station leaving passengers stranded until a bus could be provided for them.

A spokesman for Railtrack said: "We got a report at 7.40am on Tuesday morning that a tree had fallen on the line between Burley-in-Wharfedale and Ben Rhydding train stations. "We sent people out to deal with the tree.

"We closed the track between Ilkley and Guiseley as we thought it had done some damage to overhead lines."

The incident led to long delays for people using the service. One commuter, travelling to work in Ilkley from Leeds, was due to catch the 8.02am service, but the train left more than 20 minutes late.

He said that after his train queued outside Guiseley Station for a further 15 minutes, he got off and waited a further ten minutes for a coach to take him to Ilkley. He finally arrived at his destination at 9.42am - after an hour and 40 minutes' journey. The train had been due in at just after 8.30am.

A spokesman for Arriva Trains Northern said: "We had to stop all the trains from Leeds to Ilkley at Guiseley because of a tree on the line. We put on a replacement bus service for passengers."

The line was reopened at 10.40am after repairs to the overhead lines.

Gusts of up to 70 mph buffeted West Yorkshire this week, though the severity of the gales was not as bad as on the south coast. However, weather forecasters said that they were still capable of blowing down trees, knocking slates off roofs and blowing over lorries and caravans.

Yesterday, peak-time morning commuters faced even longer delays. The 7.35am Leeds to Ilkley train suffered brake problems between Menston and Burley just after 8am. Another train shunted the broken-down train to Ilkley, but passengers were delayed for about an hour.

Meanwhile approximately two thirds of withdrawn trains will be restored this week, following a successful driver recruitment campaign by Arriva. A full service is set to resume in the summer.

l The Rail, Maritime and Transport Union is still planning to hold a 48-hour strike tomorrow and Saturday. However, delays on the Wharfedale Line could be minimal as Arriva Trains Northern conductors are planning to abandon their picket line and instead hold ' no fares days ' where passengers will not be obliged to pay conductors to travel. The RMT were seeking legal advice on the move as the Gazette went to press .