Badgers burrowing below railway tracks have wreaked havoc on train services in the Netherlands, causing cancellations and line closures. John Voppen,

Badger tunnels halt traffic on Dutch railways

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2023-03-22 11:30:05

Badgers burrowing below railway tracks have wreaked havoc on train services in the Netherlands, causing cancellations and line closures.

John Voppen, CEO of ProRail - the company that maintains the Dutch rail network - said it was the second time in a week that services had been stopped because of badger activity.

He said the problem could take a significant amount of time to tackle as train operators needed permission to move the animals or disturb their habitat.

An inspection in recent days showed the badgers had been digging much more actively, which had direct consequences for the safety of the tracks, ProRail said.

The Den Bosch-Boxtel-Eindhoven route is an important connection linking the north and south, and passenger and freight trains on the line will be affected until at least next Tuesday.

Earlier this month in the north, badgers also burrowed below the railway tracks near Molkwerum in the Friesland province, causing services on one line to be suspended until next month.