THERE was significant disruption on the Leeds to Carlisle railway earlier after a passenger train struck and killed a bull on the line.

The Northern train, which was travelling between Settle and Carlisle, hit the bull shortly after 9.15am near to the Ribblehead viaduct.

The bull died as a result of the collision. The train also suffered damage and was removed from service.

It was later seen in the quarry sidings at Ribblehead with visible damage to a carriage.

 

 

As of noon, the line remained blocked, with efforts ongoing to remove the bull from the line.

Northern announced around 2.30pm that their services have resumed on the line.

Services on the route were affected for more than four hours, with many trains cancelled and delayed as a result of the incident.

Tony Baxter, regional director for Northern said that the remote location and nature of the incident meant it was difficult to get the line up and running again after the "unusual" incident.

“I’d like to thank our customers for their patience and understanding whilst we dealt with the incident,” he added.