Swan causes London train disruption for second day

A swan has caused train disruption in south-west London for the second day in a row.

South Western Railway (SWR) said a swan on the line caused delays and cancellations to trains between Clapham Junction and Wimbledon.

On Wednesday, what is thought to be a different swan blocked the line between Kingston and Hampton Wick.

An SWR spokesperson said trains were now running normally.

The PA News agency reported one of the affected passengers on Thursday was a judge who was late for a hearing at Guildford Crown Court.

Asked on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, if the same swan was responsible for both incidents, the operator replied, "no I don't think so".

Following Wednesday's disruption the first swan was pictured being removed by a Network Rail engineer in a cloth bag, and was carried away on the platform.

Reports of animals on train tracks usually lead to services being stopped or running at reduced speeds.

In June, a major section of the £19bn Elizabeth line between Heathrow Airport in west London and Abbey Wood in south-east London was blocked because of a swan.

An SWR spokesperson said "South Western Railway apologises to customers for the disruption to journeys."

A Network Rail spokesperson said: "We're sorry to any passengers who were disrupted earlier today following a swan on the railway line between Clapham Junction and Wimbledon, which resulted in disruption to South Western Railway (SWR) services.

"The railway was temporarily closed for a short period of time to allow our frontline colleagues to safely check the swan was no longer on the railway and train services resumed around 11.30 BST.

"We'd like to thank passengers for their patience and understanding during this time."

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