COMMUTERS are facing lengthy delays to work this morning as the East Coast Main Line gets back up and running following a gas leak.

Passengers travelling to and from the North-East endured disrupted journeys yesterday when a large section of the line was closed after the leak was discovered on a level crossing.

GNER and Virgin trains were cancelled between York and Doncaster from early morning while engineers worked with Transco staff to repair the leak. The train operators provided buses to transport passengers between the stations.

Railway staff said last night that the line was expected to reopen this morning, but with significant speed restrictions in place which could mean further delays for passengers.

Travellers leaving London for the North-East yesterday were told to get on the earliest available train.

One passenger, whose journey took twice as long as usual, had to catch a Virgin train to Leeds, before changing to another Virgin train to York, and catching a GNER train to Darlington.

He said: "We went to King's Cross at about 11am, to check the train times, and we were told if we didn't get on a train there and then we wouldn't get home.

"We were supposed to get a train at about 7pm last night, but the staff at King's Cross said we would have no chance of getting back, so we just jumped on the first available train."

A spokeswoman for Network Rail, said the leak was at a level crossing at Arksey, north of Doncaster, in South Yorkshire.

She said: "Trains were cancelled between York and Doncaster all day and the train operating companies put buses on. The estimate for getting everything running again is Monday morning and that will be with a speed restriction."

She said work was ongoing with Transco to try to rectify the problem and further delays may be necessary.