Leaves on the line cause train punctuality to fall

Train operators fail to cope with annual problem of slippery conditions

Leaves on the line had a marked effect on railway punctuality in late October/ early November, with 86.3% of trains arriving on time compared with 90.3% for the same period last year.

Network Rail said that period eight (17 October to 13 November) was the first full month of the difficult autumn period that historically sees train performance fall. Average train punctuality for period eight over the last 10 years has been 77.6%.

Robin Gisby, director of operations and customer services, said: “The railway has made great strides in reducing the impact of the autumn weather over the past decade, but the start of this year’s has been difficult, resulting in disappointing train punctuality.

“The industry has invested heavily, some £30 million, in technology and techniques targeted at lessening the impact of autumn. We aim to deliver much better performance in the weeks ahead.”  

Eighteen of the 19 operators saw their performance drop compared to the same period last year. Southern was most affected, with punctuality down 6.6% to 83.1%. Only London Overground reported an increase in punctuality during period eight, with 94.5% of trains arriving on time.

The rail industry has struggled for years to deal with the effects of leaf mulch which forms a hard Teflon-like coating on the tracks, causing trains to slip and slide. This delays the trains and can damage both track and train.

Methods being used to tackle the ‘black ice’ of the rail industry include:

• 54 ‘leaf-busting’ trains which get rid of leaf mulch by shooting out water at high pressure
• 82 two-men leaf-busting teams (located across the country and on-call round-the-clock) who use railhead scrubbers, sand sticks and Natrusolve which softens the leaf mulch so that it can be removed
• The latest satellite navigation technology which identifies hot-spots as soon as possible
• Special leaf fall weather forecasts produced by the Met Office
• ‘Skid-pan’ training courses for train drivers which helps them to cope with the slippery autumn conditions.