UK: Tortoise Causes Train Delays After Slowly Climbing On To Tracks Between Ascot And Bagshot

Tuesday, 23 July 2024 10:39

By (C) Sky News: Dylan Donnelly, news reporter

Staff remove Solomon, an escaped tortoise, from a South Western Railway train near Ascot. Pic: X / Network Rail Wessex

A tortoise miraculously managed to escape its home and climb on to train tracks, sparking delays for commuters.

After a global IT outage caused havoc for many trying to travel on Britain's trains on Friday morning, more delays were reported between Ascot and Bagshot later that evening.

South Western Railway told Sky News a train driver spotted the culprit - a tortoise named Solomon - on the track near Ascot station just after 6pm.

The reptile was moving "at pace" towards Bagshot, they jokingly added.

Engineers carried Solomon off the tracks - and staff "moved the tortoise to a position of safety on the platform at Ascot, which included a short ride on the train itself".

While staff had planned to leave the reptile with a vet in Staines, the tortoise's owner identified Solomon and collected him at around 8pm.

South Western Railway said they understood the tortoise "was unharmed" after the ordeal, and said it caused minimal disruption to services.

Meanwhile, Network Rail Wessex apologised for the disruption, and appeared to suggest that Solomon was able to get on the tracks because of a gap in a fence.

Network Rail added on X:

"While we are delighted that this story has a happy ending and can reassure passengers that our everyone home safe, every day ambitions extend to pets, we must remind everyone that the railway is dangerous.

"Trains need several football pitches to stop from full speed and there are less obvious dangers such as the, always on, electrified third rail."

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