A BROKEN down train has caused travel disruption on a stretch of the East Coast Mainline.

Rail services between Durham and Darlington were disrupted following reports of a blocked line at around 4pm.

Some services between Darlington and Newcastle were cancelled, while services towards the South faced delays of more than an hour.

An LNER passenger onboard the broken down train, Lee Fleming told The Northern Echo that: "The train broke down near Bishop Auckland, heading to London with loss of power.

"It left Durham with problems, we're waiting for an engine to pull us into Darlington."

Mr Fleming said passengers have been told the train will be recovered at 6pm.

He said: "It's been nearly two hours and still stuck."

The Northern Echo:

Lee Fleming said water was given out to stranded passengers, but supplies ran low quickly

On Twitter, passengers onboard the broken down train said they have been waiting for recovery into Darlington.

A National Rail spokesperson said: "A broken down train between Durham and Darlington is causing disruption to journeys between these stations. As a result of this, trains may be cancelled or delayed.

"The lines towards Darlington are currently blocked however the lines towards Durham are also now disrupted."

At around 6:20pm, the broken down train was recovered from its current position and all lines reopened at 7pm.

It is still expected that services will be disrupted throughout the evening following the earlier delays.