On train technicians Rhys Wharton and Beverley Topping were out on one of Network Rail’s trains which monitors the railway, when the driver pulled the emergency brake in Long Eaton. He thought he might have hit a dog, but when Rhys looked out of the window, he saw Luka, a ten-year-old white Japanese Spitz, walking down the track.

After making sure the lines were blocked, and with the help of a few snacks, they managed to catch him. The team decided the safest option was for the missing pooch to join them, whilst they tried to track down his family.

Rhys said: “When we saw Luka wandering on the tracks, we knew the safest option was to bring him with us, contact his owners and arrange collection from Burton.

“After making several phone calls on the way, a vet was able to scan Luka’s microchip. Meanwhile, Bev managed to find his owners on Facebook.

“By the time we’d finished our shift, we’d been sent a photo of a very happy Luka, safe and well with his owners. I’m so proud we were able to reunite Luka with his family after his adventure.”

Carole Dawson, Luka’s owner, said: “I just want to thank the team at Network Rail for finding Luka, rescuing him and taking him to the vets.

“He went missing the same morning on one of our usual walks. After panicking and spending time looking for him, I was so shocked to find out he’d been rescued and was safe on the train.

“Luka was a very lucky dog that day, but he enjoyed his adventure and I can’t thank Rhys and Beverley enough.”

Network Rail has procedures in place to safely deal with animals on the railway. They can cause safety risks, as well as disruption to passenger and freight services.