Travellers on board the CrossCountry train from Newcastle to Reading on Friday were baffled when they found themselves stopped next to a power station in Pontefract in West Yorkshire — nowhere near where they were headed.

According to The Sun, the 480km journey should have taken just a few hours but passenger Jeni Harvey tweeted to say she and others on the train had become stranded after an unexpected detour.

“Currently on a lost train somewhere near Pontefract. We’re stuck because the driver ‘went the wrong way’. Who knew this was even possible?!” she wrote on Twitter.

“I’m seeing a LOT of Ferrybridge power station today. Or is it Dax? Dunno. #losttrain.”

Baffled social media users responded to the post, with Ruth Adams saying: “I really did not know that trains could get lost!”

Jeni replied: “No! You wouldn’t, would you?! But as hundreds of us unfortunately found yesterday, indeed they can ...!”

Another user, Catherine Elphee, said: “Sounds like a new episode of Thomas ... where’s the Fat Controller when you need him ...”

Eventually the train was back on the move and was redirected to Sheffield where the service was terminated.

Passengers were then forced to hop on a different train to finally reach their destination.

CrossCountry addressed the situation in a statement.

“Unfortunately, while being diverted because of an earlier event, our 14:35 service from Newcastle to Reading was involved in an operational incident near Pontefract that meant it was unable to continue,” the statement read.

“After a delay the train was able to travel to Sheffield were it was terminated, and customers were able to continue their journeys on alternative services.

“The cause of this incident is currently being investigated.”

A spokesman told The Sun Online: “Given it was a Friday before the Bank Holiday [public holiday] I’d expect it to be busy, so probably around 200 [passengers were on board].

“In these circumstances the train crew would have handed out forms showing how they could claim compensation for the delay.”

This article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission.