A herd of cows caused widespread disruption on Britain's busiest intercity railway line on Tuesday, blocking the west coast mainline in Staffordshire for more than three hours. The incident, which occurred shortly before 9am, led to cancellations and delays on multiple services, including trains between London and Manchester.
Impact on Services
Avanti West Coast and Lumo services between London Euston and Scotland were affected, as well as London Northwestern and West Midlands trains. Disruptions were expected to continue until 4pm, with tickets being accepted on certain alternative routes. According to the Press Association, railway staff reportedly had difficulties contacting the farmer responsible for the animals to move them off the track.
Political Context
The cow incursion came a day after Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester and prime minister-apparent, announced plans for No 10 operations split between London and Manchester. Burnham had also experienced a late arrival in Westminster the previous week on another delayed Avanti train, in a separate incident not involving cows. He has called for the UK to be “able to take greater public control” of transport, though it is unclear if this incident aligns with his vision.
