Rail services to Lincolnshire village reduced due to autumn leaves causing delays

Rail services in a rural village have been cut in a bid to reduce the number of delays caused by leaves on the line.

East Midlands Railway said that in autumn leaves can make the rails slippery and has therefore reduced the number of trains which stop at Swinderby, Lincolnshire.

The change is being implemented from Monday 28 October to Saturday 30 November.

A spokesperson for East Midlands Railway said the measure is in a bid to improve the overall performance of the Nottingham - Lincoln route in the autumn.

They said: "During Autumn, low adhesion caused by leaf fall can make rails slippery and harder for trains to accelerate and brake effectively.

"Safety is our top priority, so when this happens, drivers have to pull out of stations more slowly and brake much earlier for stations and signals to make sure they stop in time."

The spokesperson said leaves on the line can lead to disruption and last year caused 5,000 minutes of delays on this route.

"Swinderby is a quiet station with modelling showing that 40% of services have no customers to/from Swinderby at all.

"During the five-week change, an on-demand taxi service for Swinderby customers will be provided and train services will still call at the station – albeit less frequently.”

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know.