Badgers that are still under the railway at Esch can expect excavators in their burrow on Friday morning. ProRail has started excavating the first badger setts, writes the railway manager on his site. The trains are expected to run again at the end of next week, but that is not entirely certain because the excavation work still has to show how big the castle is.
“We carefully dig inwards from the outside of the embankment,” writes ProRail. “If we still find badgers, they will be anesthetized and taken care of. This is done under the supervision of a veterinarian and ecologist.” Because badgers are nocturnal animals, ProRail is only allowed to dig during the day.
ProRail already started preparations on Thursday morning. The railway manager then mowed around the track and placed so-called non-return valves in front of the entrances to the castle. As a result, badgers could go outside, but not back in.
“We are now fully engaged in work,” says a ProRail spokesperson on Friday morning. “It’s all done with respect for the animals.” He does not know the exact cost of the operation, “but count on six zeros”.
Newly built castle
No trains have been running between Den Bosch and Boxtel since Tuesday, for fear that the rails will sag because of the holes. The tens of thousands of passengers who travel between the two cities every day can take the bus.
There are also badgers under the railway near the Frisian Molkwerum. “The damage is greater there,” says the spokesman. The work will take another month. “Because the badgers that live there have nowhere else to go, we build an alternative shelter ourselves. The habitat is larger in Esch, so we can simply say: get out.”
Read also It’s not that badgers like living under the tracks. Then why are they there?