An Absolute Mare: The West Coast Mainline Is Blocked… By Horses

The un-stable service prevented MPs from making it to Westminster for the swearing in of Parliament.
Why the long face?
Why the long face?
lovleah via Getty Images

New MPs are having to rein in their plans for the day after an escaped horse on the tracks saddled trains on the West Coast Maneline with delays.

Politicians’ attempts to hoof it to Westminster to be sworn in descended into tales of woah as the crisis unfolded.

Labour’s Cat Smith was one of those left with a long face. Tweeting about the un-stable service into the capital, she was aware of “at least three other MPs on different delayed trains”.

It’s unlikely I’m actually going to make it to Parliament in time for it opening at 2:30pm despite leaving 2 and half hours spare.... horses on the West Coast Mainline 🐴 I’m not alone. Aware of at least three other MPs on different delayed trains. 🤷♀️

— Cat Smith (@CatSmithMP) December 17, 2019

Another person tweeting from aboard a delayed train elaborated on the situation, claiming one horse had escaped from a field.

a horse escaped onto the train track so they had to stop our train to recapture it. now we've just been told we have to go backwards and take another route to london so that they can fix the fence

— ʟɪʟʟɪᴇ 🕊 (@jupiterdrives) December 17, 2019

Avanti West Coast later tweeted that normal working had resumed.

Yes, Network Rail have advised that the horses have now been moved and normal working has resumed. ^CC

— Avanti West Coast (@AvantiWestCoast) December 17, 2019

HuffPost UK wishes everyone aboard the trains good luck in their travels and hope it doesn’t mean you have to stay up pasture bedtime.

A Network Rail spokesperson said: “We’re sorry to passengers delayed after three horses got onto the West Coast main line near Atherstone at lunchtime. We have inspected the fencing and returned the horses to their field.

“The line has reopened but passengers should check before they travel while services return to normal.”

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