Docklands Light Railway suspended due to swan on tracks

The Docklands Light Railway (DLR) experienced significant rush-hour delays on Monday morning after a swan was spotted on the tracks near Pudding Mill Lane. Services were suspended between Stratford and Bow Church/Canary Wharf while staff waited for a trained rescue team to intervene.

Transport for London (TfL) confirmed that the suspension lasted over an hour. Once the swan was safely removed and returned to a suitable habitat, services resumed. This incident follows similar disruptions, such as a suspension on the Mildmay line last September involving an injured swan.

Mute swans are a protected species in the UK, and railway employees are not permitted to remove wildlife unilaterally. Network Rail has previously collaborated with The Swan Sanctuary to train workers on safe wildlife removal to mitigate such disruptions, which are part of a broader trend of animal-related rail delays.