SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- While many of us think of cold, winter-like conditions when we think of an icy coating on the train track, the South Shore Line president wrote a letter to the public this week reminding passengers of the complications the falling leaves can present to the train line. 

"We prepared for this season and for decades have been able to manage our operation to deal with this annual event efficiently, that is, until recently," Noland said. "The last two weeks of operations on the South Shore Line have been a struggle, and that we know is an understatement.

"In October, we let you know that we would have regular construction delays associated with single tracking due to the cutover to the new Hammond Gateway Station and the Metra capacity project that limited northbound train traffic to one track for three weeks. We advised you to expect delays of approximately 20 minutes, and those delays, some less, some more, occurred. What we didn’t anticipate was that after construction ended, we would experience an unprecedented impact on rail operations from this annual leaf-falling situation."

Full letter from SSL President Michael Noland:

Dear South Shore Line Riders,

For many of us, the turning of the leaves is a glorious time of the year here in northwest Indiana, as the changing colors of the trees are truly magnificent. For railroads such as ours, however, the fall represents an annual challenge to train operations and equipment maintenance. A recent article in Forbes magazine (https://www.forbes.com/sites/lauriewinkless/2021/10/27/why-leaves-on-the-line-cause-problems-for-trains/) does a good job of capturing the challenges that the South Shore Line and railroads face due to these beautiful falling leaves. In short, as leaves fall from trees and land on the rail, getting crushed into a compound that inhibits the coefficient of friction and creates an icy coating. We refer to this time of the year as “wheel slip season.”

We prepared for this season and for decades have been able to manage our operation to deal with this annual event efficiently, that is, until recently. The last two weeks of operations on the South Shore Line have been a struggle, and that we know is an understatement. In October, we let you know that we would have regular construction delays associated with single tracking due to the cutover to the new Hammond Gateway Station and the Metra capacity project that limited northbound train traffic to one track for 3 weeks. We advised you to expect delays of approximately 20 minutes, and those delays, some less, some more, occurred. What we didn’t anticipate was that after construction ended, we would experience an unprecedented impact on rail operations from this annual leaf-falling situation.

When railroad wheels slide, defects or “flat spots” can be created. We, like all railroads, follow rigorous safety standards concerning wheel quality. During this time, we have greatly increased our wheel inspections and removed any vehicle from service that had any out-of-tolerance wheel on a train. Over the past several weeks, the number of trains with car wheels out of tolerance was like nothing anyone on this railroad had seen or experienced in their entire careers. Due to this situation, our trains were late with extensive delays of 30 – 60 minutes or more at times, as we changed out cars with out-of-compliance wheels. In addition to causing significant delays, this resulted in many train cars being unavailable for service, which resulted in overcrowding of a number of our trains.

We know this explanation doesn’t change the fact that your service has not been what we should deliver, but we need to let you know what has been happening to the operation behind the scenes.

I want to let our riders know that we have been working around the clock to find a resolution to this problem. In addition to working multiple shifts to repair and return railcars to service as fast as we can, we have implemented numerous measures to try and address issues associated with the residue impact of leaves on the rails. Since the start of the week, the changes we have implemented appear to be working. As I write this letter on Thursday evening, November 7th, 2024, 25 out of the 39 trains we operated today were on time, and we are working towards improving this performance steadily. We are also exploring opportunities to invest in emerging technology that other railroads that have dealt with this issue long before our challenges this year are using in the United States, including laser-based technology to remove leaf sediment from the rail, high-pressured water methods, and the use of rail sweeping vehicles currently on loan to us from our friends at Metra who have dealt with this issue in the past. We commit to finding a solution to this issue and mitigate the impacts we have been experiencing.

On a final note, over the past 6 months we have experienced a half dozen or more service disruptions in the Gary area due to concerns about a potential gas leak in the area. First, if the odor of gas is detected along the rail line, we immediately stop operations until we can get an all-clear from NIPSCO and the proper authorities that there is no threat of a leak along the rail line. The safety of our passengers and employees is our number one priority. Second, we are working with NIPSCO, the City of Gary, and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) to try to locate the source of the gas smell. If we can determine the source, we can better address concerns raised when gas is detected. We will continue to pursue a resolution to this issue and appreciate your patience and understanding when we are faced with this type of situation.

Thanks again for riding the South Shore Line,

Michael Noland
President
South Shore Line/NICTD