Customers travelling on the West Coast Main Line experienced brief delays last week after services were paused in order to save an adventurous tortoise.
The reptile, which is reported to be 50 years old, was found making its way along the line running through Runcorn station.
Once passengers reported the trespassing tortoise, Avanti West Coast station staff worked swiftly with Network Rail in order to mount a safe rescue operation and, following a 10-minute pause in services, train journeys were able to resume.
The tortoise was then taken to a local rescue centre, where it was kept comfortable overnight before being reunited with its owner.
Kathryn O’Brien, Customer Experience Director at Avanti West Coast, said: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. Even our mascot, Turbo, came out of his shell to keep the unexpected visitor company on the journey to a local rescue centre.
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. 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.
The hare was, unfortunately, unavailable for comment.
