Trains to Bidston from Shotton cancelled due to slippery rails.

Arriva Train Wales have cancelled services to Bidston from Shotton due to the slippy rails.

Services from Wrexham to Bidston will terminate at Shotton due to the seasonal slippery rail hazard usually associated with falling leaves on to train tracks.

Trains will be started from Shotton High Level but will no longer call at Bidston, Upton, Heswall and Neston Arriva Trains Wales website says.

Buses will run from Shotton to Bidston.

The most recent trains to be affected have been:

Further Information from Arriva:

If your train journey has been delayed you may be entitled to compensation. Please keep your ticket to accompany any claim. For more information please visit Arriva where you can claim online, or pick up a form from your nearest ticket office.

Fallen leaves stick to damp rails and passing trains compress them into a slippery layer that reduces grip

Britain’s 30,000 hectares of railway land are home to millions of trees, bushes and other plants. A mature tree has between 10,000 and 50,000 leaves and each autumn thousands of tonnes of leaves fall onto railway lines across the country.

Compressed by passing trains, the leaves create a thin, Teflon-like layer on the rails, so train drivers have to brake earlier when approaching stations and signals to avoid overshooting and accelerate more gently to avoid wheel spin.

Leaf mulch can also insulate trains from the rails with the result that our signalling system, which uses electric currents in the track to locate trains, becomes less accurate. To maintain safety, longer gaps must be left between trains, leading to delays.

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