‘Slippery rails’ disrupting trains to Leeds as explanation given by Northern
Not a reason you see every day for rail disruption! 🍂
Trains between Hull and Leeds are being disrupted this morning due to “slippery rails”, passengers have been warned.
Storm Boelo brought plenty of disruption to train services over the weekend, while engineering works have shut the direct line between the city and York this week.
However, one passenger reached out to Northern Rail on social media on Thursday (October 29) to ask why trains heading to West Yorkshire from Hull were being cancelled and got a surprising response.
They wrote: “@northernassist Can you explain why the trains to Hull from Halifax are so specifically getting cancelled currently? It leaves a big Leeds bound gap in the timetable of a morning.”
Northern Rail quickly responded, replying: “Hello, unfortunately this is due to slippery rails. We are sorry about this.
“We have flagged with our operational teams and will see if anything can be done for tomorrow.”
On its website, Northern Rail has an in depth explanation of why autumn leaves can cause train tracks to get slippery and the danger it poses.
The rail service explains: “It’s Not Just a Leaf 🍂 Discover what happens when autumn leaves meet the railway, and meet the people working together to keep you moving safely.
“Every autumn, thousands of tonnes of leaves fall onto the railway across the North. When wet leaves are crushed under passing trains, they create a slippery layer known as leaf mulch – a bit like black ice on the roads.
“This can make it harder for trains to accelerate and brake, sometimes affecting journey times.”