Rail staff "shell-shocked" after Tortoise holds up trains in Runcorn
Trains were paused for ten minutes while Avanti West Coast and Network Rail carried out the rescue
A tortoise brought part of the West Coast Main Line to a crawl, after wandering onto the railway tracks at Runcorn.
The reptile, believed to be fifty years old, was spotted making its way slowly along the tracks by a customer waiting on the platform.
Avanti West Coast station staff worked with Network Rail to arrange a safe rescue, after the sighting was reported.
Trains through Runcorn were temporarily paused while the tortoise was escorted away from danger.
The rescue operation took around ten minutes, with services resuming shortly afterwards.
The tortoise was taken to a local rescue centre, where it was looked after overnight before being reunited with its owner.
'Proud of the team's swift actions'
Kathryn O'Brien, Customer Experience Director at Avanti West Coast, said staff worked with Network Rail to carry out a safe rescue after reports of a "slow-moving trespasser" on the tracks.
She said: "We're proud of the team's swift actions, which helped bring the tortoise to safety while keeping disruption to customers' journeys to a minimum."
She also thanked customers for their patience.
Ross Davies, Network Rail's North West Network Operations Director, said there had been "initial shell shock" in the control room when the report first came in.
He added that trains were only stopped for ten minutes, and it was good to know the tortoise was "safe and sound" back with its owner.