Rail line closed due to landslip

A major rail route in West Yorkshire has been closed due to a landslip, it has been confirmed.

Trains between Leeds and Knottingley were suspended on Sunday, with operator Northern saying the line was likely to remain closed until around 19 March.

The operator said the disruption was due to an ongoing "safety inspection", with replacement buses running on the route.

Network Rail said a landslip was discovered between Pontefract Monkhill and Knottingley stations.

The organisation said a train driver had reported seeing ground movement while working on the route, which passes through stations in Wakefield, Featherstone, Pontefract and Streethouse, over the weekend.

A spokesperson said: "Engineers have been on site around the clock in recent days carrying out investigations to help our teams to understand what has caused the slip and to determine what work will be needed to repair and reopen the railway line, and how long it will take.

“Engineers have also taken proactive steps to protect vital equipment in the area to keep trains running on other, nearby parts of the network."

On Tuesday it was revealed that disruption on another West Yorkshire train line would continue for several more weeks following a separate landslip which was first discovered last month.

The slip, at Baildon, has resulted in services between Bradford Forster Square and Ilkley being cancelled, although trains from both destinations to Leeds were unaffected, Network Rail said.

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