Photo taken on Oct. 9, 2017 shows a gaint tortoise on the Santa Cruz Island, one of the Galapagos Islands, in Ecuador. (Xinhua/Xu Rui)

A large tortoise on the track caused trains to come to a halt in southeastern England, a rail company informed frazzled travelers Monday.

Greater Anglia rail company tweeted that trains between the city of Norwich and Stansted Airport were stopped for more than an hour due to a "giant tortoise."

The operator first announced the line was blocked by "animals on the railway" early on Monday afternoon.

One passenger on a train to Norwich, Diane Akers, posted a photo of the tortoise standing on the track just afternoon, reporting to the train company: "It's still alive but injured." The tortoise's shell appeared to have a large gash on top. "I couldn't believe my eyes to be honest!" Akers wrote.

A Greater Anglia customer adviser called Georgie later wrote that the tortoise was injured and had been taken to a specialist team for treatment.

"We have been informed that he will make a full recovery," the adviser updated. The railway line reopened around 1.5 hours later, while knock-on delays were predicted. The bizarre delay came as UK passengers have experienced several days of train strikes in the summer of 2022 as railway employees' trade unions demand pay rises reflective of inflation.