Friday Funny: Squirrelly Passenger Causes UK Train Cancellation

When the announcer said “all aboard” on the 8:54 a.m. service from Reading in southern England to Gatwick Airport last week, a wider range of local residents than likely intended took them at their word. “While pets such as dogs often take trains in Britain, rodents are a less frequent passenger,” a Reuters article said of the incident.

"We can confirm that the 0854 Reading to Gatwick was terminated at Redhill after a couple of squirrels boarded the train at Gomshall without tickets, breaching railway byeclaws," a spokesperson for the railway told Reuters. Railway staff was able to remove one of the “furry freeloaders” from the train at Redhill, but one refused to leave, forcing them to cancel the service and return the train to Reading, which was the second squirrel’s final destination.