Swan on tracks sparks rush-hour delays as DLR line suspended

Swans have caused delays on the network before. This injured swan found itself trapped on the Mildmay line tracks in September 2025 Network Rail Niva Yadav 1 minute ago COMMENTS An animal on the tracks at Pudding Mill Lane caused chaos on the DLR line during rush-hour on Monday morning.

The line was suspended between Bow Church and Stratford while TfL staff attended to the wildlife incident, understood to involve a swan.

Social media reports claimed passengers were forced to leave the train and the line was later suspended.

The suspension comes as thousands of Londoners made their commutes into the city on Monday morning.

On its website, TfL reported: “Docklands Light Railway: Severe delays between Stratford and Canary Wharf while we remove an animal from the track at Pudding Mill Lane.”

The birds have been spotted on railway tracks on several occasions, often causing widespread delays. For example, in September last year, the Mildmay line was suspended for over an hour while a railway employee coaxed the injured swan from the tracks.

Unmarked “mute” swans, the UK’s resident species, are protected and killing or injuring one can constitute criminal damage or a wildlife-related offence.

Network Rail announced plans in 2024 to team up with The Swan Sanctuary in Shepperton in a bid to train rail workers on how to safely remove swans from tracks.

But swans aren’t the only animal that cause delays on the UK’s rail network.

In the year to March 2024, Network Rail reported as many as 1,432 incidents, with offending animals including donkeys, mice, hedgehogs, and deer.

Across the operator’s Wessex route, which includes routes from London Waterloo to Surrey, Berkshire, Dorset, Devon, and Wiltshire, swans were responsible for the largest number of delays to passengers.