SWANS are one of the biggest causes of disruption to train services, it has been revealed.
Network Rail said the large birds are among the most prolific track trespassers.
Train workers have had to be trained on how best to remove the animals, which can turn aggressive.
It makes getting them off lines — which are often electrified — particularly challenging.
Network Rail revealed the problem after a swan wandered on to a line near Hilsea, Hants, axing South Western Railway services on Thursday.
It has partnered with the Swan Sanctuary in Shepperton, Surrey, to provide staff with “skills and training to quickly and safely remove our feathered friends”;.
Over the 12 months to March 2024, swans caused the largest number of passenger delays across Network Rail Southern region’s Wessex route — covering Surrey, Berkshire, Hampshire, Dorset, Devon, Somerset and Wiltshire.
For the whole Southern region, deer were the most disruptive animal.
But Network Rail pointed out that for every minute of delay due to animals, human trespassers caused more than 10½ minutes.
A spokesperson for Network Rail apologised to passengers affected by the delays, and said: “Swans are the most impactful animal trespassers for disrupting passenger services and our partnership with the Swan Sanctuary provides our front-line teams with invaluable skills and training to tackle the challenge of quickly and safely removing our feathered friends from the railway.”
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