Badgers stop trains in the Netherlands

On Tuesday, the train line between Den Bosch and Boxtel in southern Holland was closed. Badger dug under the bars, compromising safety.

John Faubin, chief executive of Prorail, which maintains the rail network, told the BBC it was the second time in a week that traffic had been halted because of the mammals.

Doing something about the problem is not easy. Badgers are a protected species, and train operators need special permits to move the animals or disturb the environment in which they live.

Badgers can have their own mound

The Den Bosch-Boxtel-Eindhoven line runs north and south in the Netherlands, but now both passenger and freight trains will be affected on the important route until at least Tuesday.

Earlier in March, a badger had also dug under the tracks in northern Holland, near Molkwerum in the province of Friesland, shutting down the line until April.

The railroad workers are now planning to build a mound of sand, where badgers can dig their nests.

“Living with badgers is a big puzzle for ProRail,” the company writes on its website, adding that the goal is to arrange “safe train traffic and a thriving promenade.”

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