Leaf Fall Delays Explained
Autumn leaves on the line
Every Autumn N I Railways suffer when leaves on the line cause trains to be delayed or cancelled causing untold frustration to our rail passengers. This is a problem that every railway has to face and is often met with disbelief.
When leaves fall on or close to the railway line, they are swept up by the turbulence caused by passing trains and compressed under the wheels of the carriages. The leaves are pounded into a hard, black, shiny Teflon like substance which is difficult to remove. The problem is exacerbated during bad weather.
Crushed leaves become slippery when wet which causes a greasy ‘mulch’ to cover the rail. This mulch is to rails what ice is to roads. The poor adhesion between the wheel and track makes it difficult for trains to slow down and stop and causes ‘wheel slip’.
We would like to reassure all our passengers that we will be doing all we can to ensure our lines are running as normally as possible and would apologise to any passengers whose services are affected due to wheel slip. In an effort to minimize any disruption to services NI Railways have undertaken a number of actions to help mitigate the problem.
These include:
Infrastructure
Staff at stations will endeavour to keep passengers informed of any changes or delays to services or alternatively passengers can view the website or contact the call centre on 028 90 66 66 30.
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