It seems innocent enough. Above is the noble possum, or opossum; I can’t really tell the difference and use the two terms interchangeably. Whichever one it is, it’s noble and kind of cute, I think. Australian commuters and the folks in the neighborhood of Newport train station aren’t laughing at his cuddly antics. A possum knocked out power for a crucial railroad switching station, knocking 430 homes and businesses off the grid and delaying the commute of thousands of people streaming into Melbourne. Whoops!
“We’ve had to suspend the lines between Newport and Werribee, and the line between Newport and Williamstown,” said transportation spokeswoman Geraldine Mitchell. “We’ve got buses running between those stations and then trains running from Newport into the city. They’re stopping all stations and there’s delays because of it.”
A spokesman for Jemena, the power company in the area, says that power to the homes has been restored as of 9:30 AM. As for the possum, well, I’m sure he was delicious after his electrical deep-frying.
Tags: Jemena, possum knocks out power for railroad station and 430 homes, possums, unusual animals, possum disables power lines, Newport, Melbourne, Australia, train station power disabled by possum, possum derails morning commute, unusual accidents, power knocked offline by possum, accidents