PATCO announced Oct. 20, an enhanced, revised rail schedule to ensure reliable performance during the annual “Leaf season.”
From mid-October through early December, fallen leaves, which are crushed on the rails by traveling trains, create an oily reside on the surface of the track. This results in trains taking a longer time to accelerate and decelerate, and can cause wheels to slide. The resulting friction can flatten parts of wheel surfaces, causing trains to roll unevenly.
As a result, DRPA and PATCO stipulated in the contract for the Ben Franklin Bridge track-overhaul project that during leaf season, the contractors must make both tracks on the bridge available for service during weekday peak hours, so that PATCO can provide the most reliable service possible. PATCO will provide full, traditional weekday service on weekdays during the leaf-season period between now and early December.
“This is a common dilemma for rail lines in areas which are subject to seasonal leaf fall,” said PATCO GM John D. Rink. “The loss of friction created by leaf residue can require that we take affected trains out of service for repairs, which can result in temporary equipment shortages, and can also lengthen the running times because of slower acceleration and more gentle braking. We also use a high-pressure washer to scour the rails during mid-day hours. Unfortunately, these combined efforts can result in brief train delays. We regret the potential inconvenience to our passengers but we’re happy to be able to provide full, traditional weekday rush-hour service to our customers during this period, and we look forward to returning to normal, weekday service in January 2016.”
The schedule adjustment will take effect on October 22nd and will continue until early-December. During that period, trains between Lindenwold and Philadelphia will run at slightly reduced speeds and planned Thursday/Friday track outages on the Ben Franklin Bridge will be suspended. Track work on the Ben Franklin Bridge will continue on weekends during this time, and is still on schedule to be completed by the end of this year.
