A train in Britain was cancelled after an unusual set of passengers, two squirrels, hopped on board. The trouble started when one of the squirrels reportedly refused to leave the train, causing quite a disruption. This bizarre incident was confirmed by Great Western Railway (GWR) on Wednesday. The incident occurred on Saturday, affecting the 8:54 (0754 GMT) train service from Reading to Gatwick Airport. Despite several attempts by the train staff to remove the squirrels when the train stopped at Redhill, Surrey, one of the squirrels didn’t leave. This led to the service being cut short earlier than planned.
According to a spokesperson for GWR, the squirrels likely got frightened after finding themselves in the closed space of the train. Passengers on the train had to move down the carriages after the rodents made their way to the rear of the train. The train manager, realising the squirrels were causing trouble, locked them in one of the carriages to avoid further disturbance, reports BBC.
Efforts were made to take the squirrels off by a Network Rail staff member but the attempt didn’t work. GWR shared that because of the squirrel’s refusal to leave, the 8:54 BST service had to be ended at Redhill.
“We can confirm that the 0854 Reading to Gatwick was terminated at Redhill after a couple of squirrels boarded the train at Gomshall without tickets, breaching railway bylaws. We tried to get them off at Redhill, but one just wouldn’t budge and had to be returned to Reading, wrapping up this nutty adventure,” a GWR spokesperson said.
Interestingly, this wasn’t the first time an animal caused a stir on a British train. In December, a hedgehog made headlines when it was found hiding under a seat on a train travelling from Weybridge to London Waterloo.
It was discovered by a train guard during a midday trip and was found on a service going from Surrey to London. South Western Railway later shared the amusing encounter on X, saying that when questioned about its ticket, the hedgehog was “a little prickly.”
This afternoon an unexpected customer was found hogging a service from Weybridge to London Waterloo. When challenged, they were a little prickly about their ticket too! Still, we can’t blame them for hedging their bets… and they quill soon be on their way to somewhere safe. pic.twitter.com/enKKMZgTyB— SWR Help (@SW_Help) December 11, 2023
The company further explained that the hedgehog had been looked after at the operating centre at Waterloo station and was scheduled to be rehomed at a sanctuary.
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