After making its way onto tracks at a station near west London, the injured swan was forced to be rescued. This caused delays of hours.
Two trains were stopped at South Acton station by a swan, disrupting rush hour commuters’ journeys Monday morning.
After it fell onto the tracks at West London Station, a swan needed to be rescued. It caused delays of hours. (Nicola Cilliers/PA)
Nicola Cilliers, 43 and Steve Fraser, her partner, called the RSPCA after they spotted a bird in their flat’s window.
She told the PA news agency: “At first, we thought it was rather funny seeing a swan on the tracks holding up a train and then two trains but it quickly turned to concern for his welfare.
Engineer has now taken the swan away and I don’t know how to see him. @RSPCA_official @TfL @RSPBEngland… https://t.co/DagQOjflDx
— Nicola Cilliers (@Nicola Cilliers)
1643048496
“We then went down to investigate after he was shooed off the tracks by a Network Rail engineer.
“The engineer and another man stayed with us to guard the swan while we called several charities but to no avail.
“The fire brigade actually put me in touch with London Wildlife Protection and I got a call back from a lovely lady called Ann, a swan rescue volunteer, who was able to come out and take him.
“No-one else was able to come out and we would have been totally lost if the London Wildlife Protection had not helped because we could not have left him alone.”
We are thrilled to share the good news about the swan crossing the tracks. We found a wonderful volunteer via the @LWP_BirdRescue to… https://t.co/4cBH886vW6
— Nicola Cilliers (@Nicola Cilliers)
1643057190
Ms. Cilliers posted regular updates to Twitter, documenting the rescue operation over four hours.
She posted her last post at 10.43pm and showed the swan. “safe and sound”London Wildlife Protection looks after it.
“It’s always good to see a happy ending,”She spoke.
A spokesperson for Network Rail said Tuesday that: “Yesterday evening we were alerted to a report of an injured swan on the line at South Acton station, resulting in delays between Willesden Junction and Richmond.
“Response staff arrived on site to safely remove the swan, who is now in the care of the London Wildlife Protection.
“Delays caused by birds are not uncommon in Britain, and while we appreciate delays are frustrating for passengers, it is important we play our part in protecting Britain’s bird species.
“Anyone who sees an animal on the tracks is advised to ring the Network Rail helpline on 03457 11 41 41 so our specially trained staff can help.”