The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Rail commuters endure misery as train hits cow
Services were axed after collision blocked line
Hundreds of commuters faced hours of misery yesterday after a train in the Mearns struck a cow, forcing a string of services to be axed.
There were major delays as journeys between Dundee, Aberdeen, Inverurie, Glasgow and Edinburgh were cancelled or disrupted following the incident at about 3.30pm in Laurencekirk.
The train was damaged and left with “a fault” following the collision, which affected the 2.52pm Virgin Trains East Coast service between Aberdeen and London.
The cow was killed in the incident, which blocked the south line between Dundee and Aberdeen and caused lengthy delays for commuters in both cities, with many forced to catch buses instead.
Engineers rushed to Laurencekirk to fix the broken down train.
The incident also impacted on people travelling south from Dundee, with services between from the city to Glasgow Queen Street and Leeds among those cancelled.
The 3.33pm service between Aberdeen and Glasgow Queen Street was terminated, and instead started from Perth.
The 3.24pm journey between Inverurie and Edinburgh ended in Aberdeen, as did the 4.39pm one due to travel between Dyce and the capital.
The 4.27pm train between the Granite City and Glasgow instead began its route in Dundee, while the 5.36 train between Aberdeen and Glasgow was completely scrapped.
Northbound, the 2.41pm service between Glasgow and Inverness and the 4.30pm service from Edinburgh to Inverurie both stopped at Dundee.
Among those affected by the delays were Claire Don and Matt Tessmer, who were in Dundee to hunt for flats.
The pair had made the journey up from Stirling and faced a delay of several hours.
Accountancy student Miss Don, 19, said the disruption had also held up key coursework which she had to complete for her college.
They had been due to get a train at 5.50pm but were told they had to catch one that came in at 6.54pm instead.
However this service was also cancelled and they were both forced to catch a replacement bus back south – meaning they did not arrive home until 8.30pm.
Miss Don added: “We were hoping to get back on the next train, I have actually got to study for two assessments. I have so much going on at college right now. It is proper studying season.
“The 6.54pm train to Stirling we went back for later was also cancelled when we went back.
“We are both very tired and annoyed that they couldn’t have told us earlier that this train was cancelled too.
“I am a bit annoyed, but there is not much you can do about it.”
Last night a spokesman for Network Rail said the collision had caused “minor damage to the train”, but fitters had been working to get it back on the move.
He said trains couldn’t run through the area due to staff being on the track.
He added: “A southbound Virgin train struck a cow on the line south of Laurencekirk at around 3.30pm.”
The spokesman said the incident had caused “significant disruption to services” but that buses had kept passengers moving between Dundee and Aberdeen.
A Virgin Trains spokeswoman said the firm was “sorry for the inconvenience” caused by the incident.