Bovine Incursion disrupts thetrouts associates!

[whole diary]

[thetrout]

Ladyfriend trout has returned to London for the weekend. I saw this rather amusing Facebook status:

You know you're in the West Country when your train has to stop because there are cows on the track...

But what is interesting is how the train was run between Westbury (WSB^» (Westbury - next trains)) and Salisbury.

Real time trains shows that 1O60 (15:52 Bristol Temple Meads - London Waterloo via Salisbury - South West Trains) departed WSB 3 minutes late. Pass Dilton Marsh 10 Minutes late and arrived into Warminster 15 minutes late.

Having now reached Clapham Junction it appears the service (Now running as 1L60 after the scheduled merge with the Exeter St Davids via Honiton service) has made up a good 10 minutes, departing CLJ 4 minutes late. (Impressive!)

Just a question, why would they hold the train on the track between WSB and DMH^» (Dilton Marsh - next trains)? Instead of at the Platform in WSB? Assuming it was because the cows were nearly moved and/or to free up a platform at Westbury? Just seems that if the cows had somehow damaged the track that the train would needed to have been run back to WSB to offload the passengers.

However I remain of the complete opinion that holding a train for Bovine Incursions is the correct thing to do vs. Just ploughing straight through them...