Around 100 commuters were evacuated from a train after it caught fire.
The Leeds-bound Northern Rail train ground to a halt around Clegg Hall in Wardle after passengers saw smoke coming from under the carriage at around 3.30pm today.
The blaze shut the line as fire crews and police officers rushed to extinguish the blaze.
No one was hurt.
Former Rochdale fire chief Bob Bonner was on the train, a 3pm service from Manchester Victoria to Leeds which was due to stop at Brighouse, when smoke began to fill the cabin.
He said: "It stopped dead and caught fire.
"We had to evacuate onto the tracks and walk towards Smithy Bridge station to get off the track.
"I got back on a few minutes later once smoke had got into the carriages just to check that everyone was off.
"Fortunately no one was hurt.
"There were no flames but black smoke which is typical of a train fire, so it looked like it was either oil or diesel which was on fire.
"Even when we were walking away we could see smoke coming from it."
Northern Rail confirmed there had been a fire on one of their trains and that trans were terminating at Rochdale.
Replacement bus services were laid on from Rochdale to Hebden Bridge.
Click here to be taken to National Rail Enquiries' page on the latest on the disruption
