(SEPTA issued the following news release on October 19.)
PHILADELPHIA — During every autumn when the schedule of nature coincides with the schedule of commuter rail service, the arrival of SEPTA trains is accompanied by the arrival of millions and millions of fallen leaves.
Although colorful leaves create a picturesque setting on trees along SEPTA routes, the effect of lifeless leaves on rail tracks is anything but pretty.
The leaves are a major cause of service delays at SEPTA and a troublesome occurrence at transit systems throughout the world during what is known as “slippery rail season.”
As a result, SEPTA will be using three powerful high-pressure washers on the railroad overnight throughout the upcoming weeks to help minimize service delays attributed to slippery rail conditions. Two new high-pressure washers now give SEPTA a trio of washers that will clean, wash, buff and rinse the tracks six nights a week to remove leaf residue.
Slippery rail season occurs in the fall when leaves are crushed against the rails by passing trains. The crushed leaves create a slick coating on the rails particularly when moistened by dew or light rain. This leads to reduced friction between the rail and train wheels, with less friction it takes longer distances to brake and accelerate trains.
SEPTA has been successful in its efforts to reduce the number of delays attributed to slippery rail during the past few years. A key component in its fight against slippery rail has been the performance of a flat car specially equipped by SEPTA workers with a high-pressure washer.
Blasting away leaves and debris by pounding water onto the tracks at 10,000 pounds per square inch, the high-pressure washer has aided tremendously in trimming the number of slippery rail train delays.
Since SEPTA started using the high-pressure washer on its tracks a few years ago, 1,347 trains on average have been delayed by slippery rail conditions each season. By comparison, the number of trains delayed in the year prior amounted to 2,352 trains. Thus, the high-pressure washer has been successful at reducing the number of delayed trains each year by more than 1,000.
SEPTA is hoping for even better results this slippery rail season as it adds the two new high-pressure washers to its track cleaning lineup. All three washers dispense water at 10,000 pounds per square inch and will be used to clean the entire SEPTA rail system overnight during slippery rail season.
As SEPTA continues to undertake nightly maintenance efforts to reduce delays to its Regional Rail, Norristown High Speed and trolley lines, passengers are advised to listen to radio and television reports for SEPTA updates or delays.
Passengers may also call the SEPTA Customer Service Department at (215) 580-7800 or visit SEPTA on the web at http://www.septa.org for service information.