A snake on a train recently became the latest cause of a disruption to Ottawa's light-rail transit system.

Hurdman Station's eastbound platform was temporarily closed for more than an hour last Friday as OC Transpo employees and a passenger searched for the serpent on the loose.

OC Transpo tweeted at 7:26 p.m. that the platform was shut down because of a problem with an escaped live animal.

The transit authority announced at 8:56 p.m. that the issue was resolved.

OC Transpo said the pet snake was safely captured and returned to its owner.

The snake escape was a peculiar addition to a growing list of incidents that have caused LRT shutdowns in the capital city, including derailments, brake faults and weather-related failures.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 19, 2023.

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This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Meta and Canadian Press News Fellowship.