Swans on the line: Surrey charity trains rail staff to tackle foul trespassers

Network Rail is receiving new training from a Surrey charity to avoid them getting into a flap when faced with swans on the line.

Specialist sessions from the Swan Sanctuary in Shepperton mean staff will no longer have to wing it when trying to get the birds off the railway.

The Wessex Route, which runs from London Waterloo through Surrey to the South of England, sees as many as 20 swans cause disruption each year.

Clyde Howarth, head of operations delivery at Network Rail Wessex, said: “We’ve seen a rise in visits from our feathered friends, and as they have a reputation for being aggressive, we wanted to provide new starters with some training as the staff will need to know how to handle swans on a track which carries 750 volts.

“Our goal is to safely remove the swan from the track as quickly as possible, so that train services can start running again.”

Sally Thompson head of training at The Swan Sanctuary, added: “We’re only too happy to provide the skills to enable Network Rail staff to safely remove the swans from danger to a place of safety.

“We look forward to assisting Network Rail with their swan related issues in the future.”