Thread by @NetworkRailSE

⚠️🍂We're really sorry for the disruption @Se_railway passengers are experiencing today. It's due to a signalling problem at Hayes because of heavy autumn leaf fall. Leaves on the line are no joke for us, autumn is our most challenging season and here's why... 👇

🍂Every autumn, thousands of tonnes of leaves fall onto railway lines. High winds can cause heavy leaf fall very quickly and rain means they are more likely to stick to the rails...
networkrail.co.uk/stories/how-do…

🍂When trains pass over the leaves, the heat & weight of the trains bake them into a hard, slippery layer. This is the railway’s equivalent of black ice. It makes it harder for trains to accelerate & brake effectively, so drivers have to go slower & brake earlier to stop in time.

🍂A build-up of leaves on the tracks can also cause delays by forming a barrier between the train wheels and the electrical parts of the track that let signallers know where the trains are - that's the cause of today's problem.

🍂It means our signalling system - the traffic lights of the railway - isn't working properly. So for your safety, rather than automatically signalling trains to proceed, they are having to be 'cautioned' past slowly by talking to the signaller on the phone, which takes longer.

🍂We have engineers on site trying to fix the fault & we'll also be jet-washing the rails in the area to remove any contamination which might be interfering with our signalling. So we hope to have the problem fixed soon.

🍂Every autumn, our leaf-busting trains work round the clock to jet wash the rails, and also cover the rails in a special gel, mixed with sand, to help trains grip better. They cover around 40,000 miles in Kent, Sussex and south London every autumn.
networkrail.co.uk/stories/leaf-b…

🍂We know how frustrating it is to be delayed, especially on a Monday morning and because of leaves of the line, so once again, please accept our apologies. Keep checking with @Se_Railway for the live travel info