Thousands of commuters travelling into Bradford faced rush hour chaos this morning when a train broke down in Bingley causing widespread disruption to services.

Passengers on trains between Skipton, Leeds and Bradford experienced delays of up to 90 minutes while Northern Rail worked to resolve the problem.

Disgruntled passengers told the Telegraph & Argus how they had been forced to abandon their journeys and travel by car to get into work.

One man, who got on the train at Steeton and Silsden Station, said the service had stopped when it reached Keighley.

He said: “We could have been sat there for hours until I took the decision to get the train back to Steeton. There was no information about what was going on and how long we would be stuck. It’s a disgrace. The conductor didn’t know what was going on.”

Another commuter reported a two hour delay while rail users’ groups questioned the length of time taken to get services moving again.

James Vasey, chairman of Bradford Rail User Group, said: “Speed is of the essence when dealing with the Monday rush hour. It could have been dealt with much quicker.”

Tim Calow, chairman of the Aire Valley Rail User Group, said: “The service generally has been running very well. If a train breaks down on the line it can be difficult to deal with. You need a train of the same type to rescue it. Two hours delay is unsatisfactory. One of the problems with the way the railway is set up is there are a lot of trains that are not compatible, which when one goes wrong makes it very difficult.

“A solution to overcrowding was to get in five units from Scotland. These trains are not compatible with the electric trains already running services.”

A spokesman for Northern Rail said: “We would like to apologise to our customers who have suffered disruption on our services between Skipton and Leeds and Bradford Forster Square. This has been caused by a broken down train at Bingley Station.”

A spokesman for Northern Rail said: “We apologise to our passengers who experienced delays.

“When a train breaks down, we endeavour to repair the fault on site or if that is not possible, we attach the unit to another and effectively tow it to be repaired.

“During the peak rush hour this morning, we brought another unit to Bingley as quickly as possible in order to move the affected train.

“Passengers were kept informed of progress both on trains and station platforms by regular announcements.”