Inquiry after carriage derailment

Railtrack has apologised for any journey delays

An investigation was under way after three train carriages ran out of control before smashing through buffers and derailing.

All signals were placed immediately at red to stop trains passing through the area on the Leeds-York line after the passengerless coaches came to a halt at the end of the dead-end track.

The leading coach ended up 15 metres beyond the track's end as it swerved away from the adjacent commuter track.

The signalman was alerted at 1220 BST yesterday and five minutes later allowed the 1022 BST Arriva service from Liverpool Lime Street to Sunderland to crawl past the stricken carriages.

'Acted promptly'

The incident comes just six days after a commuter train derailed at Potters Bar station, killing seven people.

A Railtrack spokeswoman said the carriages were undergoing maintenance work in a shed at the Neville Hill depot just outside Leeds City Station when they began moving, free-wheeling down the sloping track.

She said: "We received a report yesterday that three coaches had run down a siding at the Neville Hill depot.

"Our signalman acted promptly and stopped all trains from running into the area placing the signals on red. At 1240 BST we reinstated line speed but we apologise to all passengers who may have experienced slight delays."

Workers at the depot were said to be shaken by the incident in which no-one was hurt and which is under investigation by the Health and Safety Executive.

Two of the carriages have been removed from the trackside and the third is due to be lifted clear of the track by cranes on Sunday.