A train line in northwest England was briefly brought to a stop after a very old tortoise wandered onto the tracks at Runcorn station.
The unexpected visitor delayed West Coast Main Line services for around 10 minutes before the animal was safely rescued and later returned to its owner, Railway-News reported.
Here's what to know
Services through Runcorn station were temporarily suspended after passengers noticed a tortoise on the tracks. Staff from Avanti West Coast and Network Rail then carried out a rescue.
A 50-year-old tortoise brought part of the West Coast Main Line to a crawl after wandering onto the railway tracks at Runcorn last month. 🐢
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On an active rail line, even a small obstruction can pose safety risks to train crews, station staff, and passengers. In this case, the animal itself was also in danger.
According to UPI, "normal operations resumed" after the creature was cleared from the area.
More background
Railway-News noted that the tortoise was believed to be around 50 years old.
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The animal, which UPI indicated was an escaped pet, was taken to a local rescue center after being removed from the tracks. It stayed there overnight before returning to its owner.
Kathryn O'Brien, customer experience director at Avanti West Coast, described the ordeal with a touch of humor.
"After receiving reports of a slow-moving trespasser on the tracks, our team at Runcorn worked with Network Rail to carry out a safe rescue," O'Brien said in a statement. "Even our mascot, Turbo, came out of his shell to keep the unexpected visitor company on the journey to a local rescue center."
Network Rail North West Network operations director Ross Davies also couldn't help making light of the situation as he thanked those who pitched in.
"While there was initial shell shock in our control room when we first got the call about a trespassing tortoise, there was nothing slow and steady with our response during our joint race with Avanti to make this highly unusual reptile rescue," he quipped.
What's being done?
To handle the incident, railway teams briefly halted services, coordinated their response, and removed the tortoise from the line.
The rescue began after passengers alerted railway staff to the tortoise's presence on the tracks, and the company acknowledged their role.
"We're proud of the team's swift actions, which helped bring the tortoise to safety while keeping disruption to customers' journeys to a minimum," O'Brien said. "Thanks to everyone's efforts, the tortoise has now been safely reunited with its owner."
"We'd also like to thank our customers for their patience while we assisted a trespasser who was in no hurry to pick up the pace," she added.
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