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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
World
Josh Salisbury

Swan on the line causes rush hour delays for south-west London commuters

A London commuter line was hit by “major disruption” at rush hour on Wednesday - because of a swan on the line.

The pesky bird parked up on the line between Kingston and Hampton Wick in south-west London, with South Western Railway warning of delays or revisions.

In a message to passengers, the train operating company wrote: “Due to animals on the railway between Kingston and Hampton Wick the line towards Shepperton is blocked.

“Train services running through these stations may be delayed or revised. Disruption is expected until 09:30.

“We have been informed of a swan on the line between Kingston and Hampton Wick. This means that services will be subject to delay and alteration.”

The delays were caused because trains had to run slower due to the swan.

One commuter said: “This has got to be a wind up. Every week something on this line causes cancellations.”

Another replied with a line from comedy film Hot Fuzz, asking the train company: “No luck catching them swans then?”

Meanwhile, a third joked: “More swan late than swan lake.”

Passengers were also being warned of wet and windy conditions throughout Wednesday, although the train company said it did not expect the weather to cause speed restrictions.

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