Network Rail rejects blame for horse electrocution

Network Rail has dismissed claims that it was to blame for the death of a horse by refusing to switch off the electricity current on a railway.

A six-month-old cob called Husher was electrocuted after falling on to the track between Aldershot and Farnham in Hampshire on 28 September.

Local papers the Aldershot Mail and Star Courier reported that the driver and guard of the 6.06pm train from Aldershot to Alton had made repeated calls for the power to be cut off which they allege Network Rail managers ignored.

But a Network Rail spokesman told H&H: “The allegations that we didn’t act on requests from the train driver are untrue.

“We have reviewed the recorded conversations between the driver and the signaller and the only request to turn off the power was when the horse had already fallen onto the tracks and died.

“At no stage prior to that did we receive a call.”

For more on this, see the current issue of Horse & Hound (16 October 2008).

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