Talk about cattle class! COW on the tracks brings rush hour train services to a standstill for two hours

  • Cow was filmed on the line at Nailsea and Backwell station, Somerset
  • Twitter user Aimee Ramsay wrote: 'Trains are delayed. Kamikaze cows everywhere'

By Rob Cooper

Published: | Updated:


Leaves on the line, signal failures and tracks buckling in hot weather - disgruntled train passengers thought they had heard every excuse.

But rail commuters faced two hours of delays in the when a cow wandered onto the tracks and brought rush hour services to a standstill.

The escaped heifer was caught on camera walking on the line at Nailsea and Backwell station, in north Somerset.

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Cattle class: A cow walks along the train track at Nailsea and Backwell station, in Somerset, bringing services to a halt yesterday

Cattle class: A cow walks along the train track at Nailsea and Backwell station, in Somerset, bringing services to a halt yesterday

Delays: The cow stopped services between Bristol and Weston-super-Mare, Somerset until it could be cleared out of the way yesterday

Delays: The cow stopped services between Bristol and Weston-super-Mare, Somerset until it could be cleared out of the way yesterday

Cow on the line: The animal can be seen walking down the line as a train approaches it yesterday morning

Cow on the line: The animal can be seen walking down the line as a train approaches it yesterday morning

Bemused commuters watched from the platform as the cow trotted along the line, oblivious to the delays that it was causing.

Train services between Bristol and Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, were delayed between 7am and 9am yesterday while workers tried to catch the animal.

Aimee Ramsay, who caught the cow walking through the station on camera, wrote on Twitter: 'Trains are delayed. Kamikaze cows everywhere #yolo.'

She added later: 'It's not so funny when you have to be in work! It's a real life Country File here.'

Twitter user Bea Lilley added: 'Reason I am late into work this morning!'

Rail delays: The cow walks in front of the train on the track - causing rush hour chaos for commuters in the south west

Rail delays: The cow walks in front of the train on the track - causing rush hour chaos for commuters in the south west

Trot along: The cow later wanders off along the track - oblivious to the railway chaos it was causing in Somerset yesterday

Trot along: The cow later wanders off along the track - oblivious to the railway chaos it was causing in Somerset yesterday

One witness, who was standing on the platform at Nailsea and Backwell station, described the chaos caused by the cow on the train tracks.

Plasterer Jack Wait, 18, from Backwell, said: 'I got to the train station to catch the train to work and there was just a cow wandering down the middle of the tracks.

'I couldn't believe it - it was huge. What it was doing on the train tracks, I'll never know. Maybe it wanted to go to the seaside.

'We were waiting for ages and all the trains were forced to stop.

'The cow ran off down the line to greener pastures and the train was eventually able to get to the platform, but by then there were so many people waiting that not everyone could fit on the train.

'I was late for work, but I feel a cow being on the train tracks is a good enough excuse. It's certainly an excuse my boss had never heard before.'

Disruption: Train services in Somerset ere delayed for two hours until the animal could be removed from the tracks

Disruption: Train services in Somerset ere delayed for two hours until the animal could be removed from the tracks

Cow on the line: Aimee Ramsay who videoed the cow on the line wrote on Twitter: 'Trains are delayed. Kamikaze cows everywhere #yolo. It's not so funny when you have to be in work! It's a real life Country File here.'

Cow on the line: Aimee Ramsay who videoed the cow on the line wrote on Twitter: 'Trains are delayed. Kamikaze cows everywhere #yolo. It's not so funny when you have to be in work! It's a real life Country File here.'

Delays: The cow was later removed from the line and First Great Western services were running as normal again later

Delays: The cow was later removed from the line and First Great Western services were running as normal again later

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