Trains to the north of Scotland have been delayed after a train hit deer, including a stag, near Blair Atholl.
Scotrail said the collision has caused a fault on the line between the highland Perthshire village and Dalwhinnie.
NEW: One of our trains has struck a stag between Blair Atholl & Dalwhinnie. It's caused a fault, which our crew are working to fix so we can get the train moving again.
This is causing some delays to other services on the Highland Mainline too I'm afraid. ^CT pic.twitter.com/aX8WU32ETY
— ScotRail (@ScotRail) January 16, 2021
The incident involved the 12.08pm service from Glasgow Queen Street to Inverness.
It struck three deer in the Dalnacardoch area, just north of Blair Atholl.
The firm said the collision had caused “some damage to equipment underneath the train.”
A maintenance team carried out repairs and the service was able to resume its journey at around 5pm.
There were six passengers, the driver and a conductor on board, none of whom were injured.
Compensation for delayed passengers
Services are now returning to normal although some services between Edinburgh and Inverness and Glasgow Queen Street to Inverness may still be delayed or revised.
A ScotRail spokesman said: “We apologise to customers who’ve been delayed as a result of this incident, and understand their frustration when these things happen.
“Anyone delayed by 30 minutes or more is entitled to compensation under our Delay Repay scheme. To claim, keep hold of your ticket and visit
ScotRail.co.uk/Delay-Repay
.”
There is no information on the condition of the stag.
Its understood that there are measures in place to stop animals entering Scotland’s train lines, but sometimes they are able to get onto the tracks.
