Under-pressure Northern Rail have blamed leaves on the track for transport disruption across the network.
This comes after furious Salford rail commuters took to twitter last night to complain to the provider about regular disruption on commuter routes.
The 17:08 Northern Rail service from Salford Central to Bolton was just one of the services through Salford train stations that was affected yesterday.
Northern usually provide four carriages for this busy service but reduced it to two carriages yesterday for the third day in a row, this left dozens of passengers stranded on the platform after being unable to board the service.
Northern told Salford Now that leaves on the track was the reason many passengers faced delays and over-crowded services on their evening commute.
A spokesman for Northern said: “We would like to apologise to any customer who face delays, cancellations or a reduction in carriages.
“Issues related to the time of year – excess leaves on the line and damp weather – continue to cause problems for the rail industry and have caused several carriages to be taken out of service.
“Large numbers of leaves on the track, as well as other seasonal problems, can cause damage to train wheels. When wheels are damaged (wheel flats) the carriage has to be taken out of service and the wheel repaired before the problem becomes more serious.
“We currently have more trains out of service than normal and have had to alter some of our services deal with the reduced number of carriages.”
Those who made it onto yesterday evening’s Salford Central to Bolton service had to endure an uncomfortable journey as they were packed onto one of Northern’s older models.
Angry Salford commuters took to twitter to display their disgust:
Salford rail commuters angry, as Northern blames LEAVES for disruption
Just last week it was announced that rail fares across the country will rise by 3.1% in the new year despite the nationwide disruption to train users.
Commuters at Salford Crescent train station branded the news “ridiculous”.
A peak return train ticket from Salford Crescent to Salford Central currently costs £3.10 but next years price rises will see this go up by about 10 pence.
Across the country, some commuters could see their season ticket price increase by over £100.
We ran a poll to find out how Salfordians have been affected by travel disruption ahead of the upcoming price rises:
POLL: How often have you been affected by the #Salford train disruptions? Let us know in the poll below #nationalrail
— Salford Now (@SalfordNow) December 4, 2018
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