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"Customers should anticipate crowded trains this morning due to the unavailability of several train cars requiring wheel repair on account of yesterday's weather-related slippery rail conditions. We apologize for any inconvenience," Metro-North said Wednesday via Twitter.
Related story: Train Hits Car On Tracks In Redding Along Danbury Branch, Metro-North Says
"Slip-sliding during braking creates flat spots on the train's wheels, forcing us to take much-needed equipment out of service for repairs," Metro-North said.
Tuesday's rain, combined with fallen leaves, caused delays for much of the morning and evening commutes, with delays of 20 minutes or more, due to slip-slide conditions on the tracks along the New Haven Line.
During autumn, fallen leaves are run over by trains, compacted by the weight, and crushed into a “gelatinous, slime-like substance that reduces the normal amount of adhesion train wheels have on the rails,” creating a condition known as “slip-slide,” which prevents trains from stopping normally when the brakes are applied.
“Anyone who has ever driven a car and tried to brake on a patch of ice knows something of what it feels like for a train engineer who applies the brakes to a train on a patch of rails coated in liquefied leaf residue,” MTA Chairman Joseph Lhota said in a statement.
Metro-North also suspended service late Tuesday after a train hit a car that was on the tracks at Topstone Road in Redding along the Danbury Branch, Metro-North said.
The one person in the car, whose condition was unknown, was taken to Danbury Hospital, Metro-North spokeswoman Nancy Gamerman said.
Service was suspended in both directions along the Danbury Branch for over two hours after the accident at 9:10 p.m., she said.
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