TERRIFIED passengers ducked for cover when a mass brawl broke out between drunken travellers on a Newcastle-bound train.

Trains on the East Coast main line travelling south into Newcastle were delayed for 90 minutes after the drink-fuelled thugs, all in their 30s and 40s, pulled the emergency cord - then carried on fighting on the tracks.

The punch-up flared between a large party of revellers in carriage A, on the GNER Glasgow to Doncaster service.

Onlookers fled their seats when the fight was sparked involving about 25 men, between Berwick, in Northumberland, and Newcastle, shortly before 8pm on Saturday.

British Transport Police were alerted by worried GNER train staff after one of the drunken yobs pulled the emergency cord.

The train was brought to standstill between stations and some of those involved jumped on to the trackside, where the fighting continued.

An witness said: "It was very scary. The men seemed drunk and they were knocking hell out of each other.

"As soon as the train stopped, some of them jumped off and tried to get away but they were caught by police. It was very frightening."

GNER closed both north and southbound lines, until all the troublemakers were safely off the track.

The brawlers were arrested by officers from Northumbria Police, who had been called in to help tackle the disturbance. One man was taken to hospital with a suspected fractured cheek bone.

The train travelled to the nearest station at Alnmouth, in Northumberland, where British Transport Police made nine arrests.

Those in custody are mainly from the Alnwick area.

Officers were last night interviewing the suspects at Alnmouth and Bedlington police stations.

No charges have yet been made.