Runaway tortoise rescued from tracks at Bicester train station

A tortoise which had made its way onto the tracks at a busy train station has been rescued and returned home.

The runaway reptile, called Mr T, was spotted at Bicester North Station on Tuesday by passengers – who then alerted nearby staff.

Chiltern Railways and Network Rail staff retrieved the tortoise and looked after him while waiting for his owner to come forward.

Following a post on a local social media group Mr T was then reunited with his owner.

The tortoise was unharmed and there was no disruption to services, Chiltern Railways said.

Network Rail’s Steve Gill, who retrieved the Mr T, said: “In my 30 plus years on the railway, this is the first time I’ve ever had to save a tortoise.”

“I’m glad we managed to get the pet safely away from the tracks and reunited with its owner.”

Giles Conway, Chiltern’s Oxfordshire area manager, added: “I don’t think anyone could quite believe it when we were alerted by customers at the station that there was a tortoise on the tracks.”

“I am grateful to our station staff who located the tortoise and worked with Network Rail to safely retrieve it from the tracks unharmed.”

Chiltern Railways said passengers should never attempt to retrieve or look for animals themselves around train tracks and should instead contact Network Rail.