Southeastern boss blames wet leaves for London commuter chaos after trains skipped stations

A Southeastern Rail boss said soggy leaves were to blame for London’s commuter chaos in the autumn.

Train stock actually slips and slides on the jelly-like substance produced when fallen leaves stick to the tracks, the rail company said.

This led to service delays for passengers, with the company instructing train driver to go past quieter stations to make up for lost time.

Councillor John Davey, chair of Bexley’s transport user’s sub-committee, raised the issue of trains skipping stations in the autumn timetable with Southeastern spokesperson George Paterson at a meeting last night.

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Mr Paterson told the committee the sticky texture of wet leaves was a major cause of the problem.

He said: “It’s not the leaf fall per se that causes the issues, it’s the leaves and moisture on the line.

“And when they get wet and moist, they actually release a substance similar to jelly just to give you an indication of how slippery it is on the railway.

“If you try to walk on the pavement when it’s covered in wet leaves, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about when it comes to the issues.

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“The performance impact and delays it causes on trains are very substantial.

“And the logic was that by missing a couple of quieter stations during the quieter times of the day, you were able to ensure that when the train gets into London for everyone coming out the office for 5pm, it was there on time.”

He added that he was happy to accept feedback for the yearly policy review.

The meeting also heard a recent reduction of Omicron Covid cases among rail staff had meant Southeastern were able to restore some train lines.

Coronavirus staff absences saw the Bexleyheath to Cannon Street service dropped earlier this month, angering Bexley residents commuting into central London.

Mr Paterson added the number of staff self-isolating was beginning to decline and it meant services could return to December levels, depending on demand.