An eastbound train was slightly delayed at the Yilan Railway Station after a large snake was found in one of the train carriages, the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) said yesterday.
The Tze-Chiang Express train No. 272 departed from the Miaoli Railway Station at 5:27am headed for Hualien, the agency said.
At 8:19am, just after the train passed the Ruifang Station (瑞芳) in New Taipei City, passengers informed the conductor that a 1m-long snake was coiled on a handrail in the 12th carriage, the agency said.
Photo: Chiang Chih-hsiung, Taipei Times
The conductor notified the operation control center and evacuated the passengers to other carriages before closing the carriage, it said.
Yilan County Fire Bureau officials went aboard and caught the snake when the train made a stop at the Yilan Railway Station at 9:25am, the agency said, adding that it was a non-venomous pet snake.
The agency said it is investigating whether the snake climbed onto the train by itself or a passengers brought it onboard.
“We ask all passengers to follow regulations when traveling with their pets to avoid disturbing other passengers,” the agency said.
The Forestry Bureau said the snake is a red-tailed boa, whose natural habitat is in Central and South America.
Its distinct features include a bulky body and a large triangular head, the bureau said.
Article 46 of the TRA’s Passenger Transport Contract states that passengers should not bring snakes into the station, out of the station or onto trains, the railway agency said.
Passengers who bring animals into a railway station or onto a train carriage without permission or refuse to follow the instructions of station personnel regarding pets can be fined NT$1,500 to NT$7,500, it said.
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