Railways during the foot and mouth outbreak.

[theageofthetra]

Does anyone remember that during the outbreak of this tragic disease in the early 2000's if you drove or cycled through affected areas (particularly national parks) some roads were closed or you had to pass over disinfectant. Now was wondering what, if anything, happened if a railway passed through an infected area? Were depots required to clean any part of the train with disinfectant? I would imagine this would also apply to containment of other diseases. Just curious.

 

[John Webb]

As I recall, 'foot and mouth' is passed on by contact rather than being air-borne. Now trains don't go where cattle have been, whereas walkers, cyclists and vehicles drive on roads where cattle have passed, and therefore have the potential to be contaminated, hence the disinfectant mats, road closures etc.

 

[randyrippley]

rubber tyres act as good carriers of mud and disease
steel doesn't

 

[DarloRich]

Nothing. Some of the framers I played cricket with at the time had F&M on their farms and a railway right through the middle of it all.

 

[OneOffDave]

I suspect any ungulates struck by trains during the outbreak would have to be treated as fallen stock and disposed of following those rules and a licensed contractor rather then the usual methods.

 

[Ostrich]

I worked as a casual weekend volunteer clearing lineside vegetation on the Welshpool & Llanfair one Winter back in the late 1960's(?) when there was an outbreak in mid-Wales. IIRC, we were allowed to walk down the tracks but were told on no account were we to cross any fences and leave the railway's land.