A new railway timetable is set to be introduced across the county to manage the impact of leaves on the line.
From next Sunday, Southeastern – which operates train services across Kent – will amend train times to allow for the impact of autumnal debris on the tracks.
It will mean that from October 13 to December 14 some morning trains will leave a few minutes earlier, so regular travellers should check to see if their journeys have been amended.
Southeastern estimates that some 50 million leaves fall onto its tracks in autumn each year.
When mixed with rain and compacted under the wheels of trains, these leaves form a slippery layer which reduces the grip of the wheels on the rails.
On days when it is predicted that trains will have less grip because of weather conditions and leaf fall, some services might call less frequently at some stations on the Southeastern network.
Routes with new autumn timetables planned include those from the capital to Thanet via Ashford and Canterbury, to Dover via the Medway towns, to Ashford via Maidstone, and to Hastings via Tunbridge Wells.
The Medway Valley line from Strood to Paddock Wood will also have an amended schedule, but trains running on HS1 to St Pancras will operate as previously scheduled.
A Southeastern spokesman said: “Leaves are made up of around 80% water, with the rest made up of a complex combination of other substances including pectin, cellulose, and a type of fatty acid that, when compressed, have a lubricating effect.
“When this happens on train tracks, its essentially like coating them with Teflon, and the steel wheels struggle to grip the steel tracks.
“Braking distance can more than double, with trains taking up to 1,000 metres to stop.
“The wet mulch also messes with the electrical signals used to keep track of where all the trains are on the network.
“This combination of issues leads to a potentially dangerous situation, so to be on the safe side, we need to move slowly and occasionally miss out the odd station along the route to make up time.”
