New season, old problem: LIRR said leaves caused delays Monday

Fallen leaves on tracks — a routine occurrence that caused major headaches for the Long Island Rail Road and its riders last year — again resulted in delays throughout the LIRR system Monday.

Leaves blown onto the tracks over the windy weekend and light rain throughout the day Monday combined to create “slippery rail conditions” that forced the LIRR to operate trains at reduced speeds and contributed to systemwide delays averaging 5 to10 minutes.

In a message to riders, the railroad said residue left by crushed leaves on the rails causes so-called slip-slide, “where train wheels slip while accelerating, or slide during braking.”

“We appreciate your patience,” the LIRR told customers.

The message was met with disbelief by some weary LIRR riders, who know too well the toll fallen leaves can take on the nation’s largest commuter railroad. Mineola commuter Greg Walsh, who dealt with leaf-related delays Monday morning, blamed the LIRR for doing “little or no planning ahead of time.”

“This is the same thing that happens every year: Trees die for the season, and the leaves fall. So why is this something that still continues to be an issue?” said Walsh, 30, who works in computer security. “I’m hopeful that, going into the rest of the fall, we don’t have as many delays as we did last year.”

The issue, perhaps more than any other, contributed to the LIRR’s woeful service problems late last year and into early this year, as nearly 400 train cars -- roughly one-third of the railroad's entire fleet -- had to be pulled out of service over several weeks to repair wheels damaged  by slip-slide. A shortage of machines to repair the wheels prolonged the problem.

The railroad, as part of its LIRR Forward service improvement initiative, has outlined several measures to get ahead of the falling leaves, including increasing training for locomotive engineers operating trains in slippery conditions, doubling the water pressure on special rail cars equipped with power washing jets to clean leaf residue off the rails, and stepping up the removal of overgrown vegetation near tracks. The railroad said it has cleared about 180 miles of brush on its right-of-way this year, about twice as much as during the same period last year.

The LIRR also expects to roll out later this week its brand-new "LaserTrain" -- a $370,000 piece of equipment that, according to the manufacturer, Amsterdam-based Laser Tribology BV, uses "high-intensity lasers to remove the slippery top layer from the tracks." 

“We’ve taken unprecedented steps to address slippery rails and minimize associated delays – which would be significantly greater without our actions," said Jon Weinstein, spokesman for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the LIRR's parent organization. "At this time of year we slow trains to ensure safety; this has the added benefit of reducing flat spot damage and preventing greater long-term problems.”

The LIRR has also added a new "wheel truing machine" -- a lathe-like device that restores the  curvature of wheels -- at a facility in Queens, increasing the railroad's wheel repairing capacity by 50 percent. 

By Alfonso A. Castillo

alfonso.castillo@newsday.com@alfonsoreports

Alfonso Castillo has been reporting for Newsday since 1999 and covering the transportation beat since 2008. He grew up in the Bronx and Queens and now lives in Valley Stream with his wife and two sons.