Rail travellers are being warned of major delays on some routes until Friday evening after a tractor damaged the line near Fitzwilliam in West Yorkshire.

National Rail Enquiries (NRE) said services including CrossCountry from Leeds to Reading and Plymouth and between Glasgow Central and Birmingham New Street are affected.

East Midlands Trains between Leeds and London St Pancras International and London North Eastern Railway between Leeds and London Kings Cross are also impacted, along with Northern services between Leeds and Doncaster and Sheffield.

Damage to the railway infrastructure including to the tracks and overhead electric wires was caused by a tractor and trailer on Wednesday evening.

Wakefield tractor disruption
Firefighters trying to move the tractor (West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service/PA)

Images of the scene showed an uprooted tree on top of the tractor, which had come to a stop on one of a pair of tracks.

CrossCountry tweeted: “No CrossCountry services will serve Wakefield Westgate until further notice. A limited CrossCountry service will run through Leeds with some services diverted between Sheffield and York.”

The London North Eastern Railway tweeted that there will be “multiple service alterations” on Thursday morning.

Northern said services between Sheffield and Leeds via Moorthorpe and Wakefield Westgate and services between Doncaster and Leeds are disrupted.

NRE said: “The Network Rail, the fire service and a specialist recovery service have removed the tractor from the line. Network Rail are now undertaking repair work. We currently expect all lines to be open and trains able to run as normal from 18:00.”