Travel Alerts
Travel Alerts & Special Schedules
Leaf Season Has Arrived
Anyone who has ever raked a yard knows that autumn leaves exact a cost for their beauty. That’s also true at PATCO and other railroads, where fallen leaves can delay commuter trains.
Fallen leaves crushed under a train’s wheels leave an oily residue on the surface of the track. When a train starts or stops rolling over tracks covered with leaf oil, its wheels can slide. Friction caused by the slide can flatten parts of wheel surfaces and cause train wheels to roll unevenly, resulting in a thumping sound.
When that happens, PATCO takes affected trains out of service and repairs or replaces misshapen wheels. The repair process sometimes creates a temporary shortage of available trains, which could cause delays or cancellations.
In order to prevent leaf oil accumulation – and protect the safety and comfort of PATCO passengers – we use a high-pressure washer to scour the rails during evening and off-peak hours. Unfortunately, our leaf-clearing work is likely to result in brief train delays from mid-October through early November.
We apologize in advance for the inconvenience.
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Alternate Means of Transportation for Individuals with Disabilities
If you arrive at a particular station and find the elevator out of service, PATCO will arrange for alternate transportation to the closest station with an operating elevator. You can either call (856) 772-6900 or use the elevator intercom/phone to make a request.