Rail operators have revealed new timetables with fewer trains that will stop much earlier because of leaves falling on tracks.

Passengers have been warned to expect longer journeys and certain stops skipped altogether as part of the new autumn schedules.

Network Rail said it had to cope with around 500billion leaves falling onto tracks each year.

The job of clearing them is made harder in damp weather as fallen leaves stick to the rails and become compressed by train wheels. 

This creates a thick, slippery layer, which can reduce trains’ grip and result in signallers being unable to detect when a train has entered a new section of track.

Speed restrictions are imposed to try to reduce accidents such as the crash between two trains outside a tunnel near Salisbury in 2021 which left 14 people in hospital.

As a result, train companies are running reduced services which include fewer trains throughout the day, including early mornings and late evenings.

The UK rail network stretches for 20,000 miles and has to cope with 500billion leaves a year

Here is a guide to which rail operators are making leaf fall timetable changes:

Chiltern Railways

A new leaf fall timetable from September 29 will affect trains on the Aylesbury Vale Parkway – Amersham – Marylebone line, running southbound towards London.

Trains between Aylesbury Vale Parkway and Rickmansworth heading towards London will leave up to three minutes earlier than before.

East Midlands Railway

A leaf fall timetable from October 27 to November 29 means trains on the Leicester – Nottingham – Lincoln – Grimsby Town route will not call at Swinderby.

Trains running from Skegness towards Nottingham may depart from Skegness three minutes earlier than normal, but run at their normal time from Sleaford onwards.

London Northwestern Railway

From October 1 until December 15, journey times on the route between Bletchley and Bedford have been extended by up to two minutes.

From Bletchley towards Bedford, trains from Aspley Guise, Ridgmont, Lidlington, Millbrook and Stewartby will depart a minute later than usual. Trains from Kempston Hardwick and Bedford St Johns will depart two minutes later than usual.

From Bedford towards Bletchley, trains from Stewartby, Lidlington, Ridgmont and Aspley Guise will depart a minute later than usual. Trains from Woburn Sands, Bow Brickhill and Fenny Stratford will depart two minutes later than usual.

London Underground

From September 29 until January 11, Transport for London said a revised timetable will be in place on the Piccadilly line.

Fewer trains will run to/from the Uxbridge branch during the day, including early mornings and late evenings. Last train times will be ‘much earlier than usual’.

A ‘slightly reduced’ service will run across the rest of the line, and there will also be changes to last train times to other destinations.

A leaf-busting train was named ‘Crtl Alt Deleaf’ by the public in a nationwide vote this year

Merseyrail

Extended journey times will be in place from October 6 to December 13 on Chester / Ellesmere Port services, and between Southport and Liverpool Central.

Northern

Leaf fall timetables will be in place from October 6 to December 13 on these routes: Newcastle – Hartlepool – Middlesbrough; Newcastle – Carlisle; Middlesbrough – Whitby; Blackpool – Colne; Blackburn – Manchester Victoria via Todmorden; Manchester – Clitheroe; Manchester – Hazel Grove – Buxton; Manchester – Hadfield and Glossop; Sheffield – Huddersfield.

ScotRail

From September 29 to December 13, some services will see extended journey times by a couple of minutes on the Fife, Borders and Perth routes

Some services will have altered calling patterns on the Fife, Ayrshire, Edinburgh – Helensburgh, Argyle line and Glasgow – Edinburgh routes

Other services will have minor changes to times on the Aberdeen to Inverness route.

And some services which run from Glasgow Queen Street Low Level and Glasgow Central Low Level will see a change to departure times from these stations.

South Western Railway

From September 21 to December 13, services will depart between one and five minutes earlier than usual, to give trains more time to accelerate and brake.

All services between Dorking and London Waterloo will depart Dorking two minutes earlier than usual.

Stops have been removed at Kempton Park and Upper Halliford in a bid to improve performance on the Shepperton branch line and in the Wimbledon area, and at West Byfleet to improve performance in the Surbiton area.

SWR said it had ‘chosen these stations due to their low customer numbers outside of peak hours, the high number of train services at these stations, and how close they are to alternative stations’.

The operator said those who require services from Kempton Park or Upper Halliford at the relevant times can travel from Sunbury instead, which is a 13 minute walk from Kempton Park and a 20 minute walk from Upper Halliford.

In addition, some off-peak stopping services from Woking to London Waterloo will not call at West Byfleet, between Monday and Friday.

Speed restrictions are imposed to try to reduce accidents such as the crash between two trains outside a tunnel near Salisbury in Wiltshire in 2021 (pictured) which left 14 people in hospital

Southeastern

An autumn timetable from October 12 to December 13 means a few morning and evening metro trains have amended calling patterns on weekdays.

West Dulwich, Sydenham Hill, Penge East and Kent House will have three trains per hour off-peak rather than four. At St Johns, a few morning and evening trains will not call.

West Midlands Railway

From October 1 until December 15, some trains from Birmingham towards Shrewsbury will depart from Wolverhampton a minute earlier than usual.

Trains that call at all stations from Birmingham to Shrewsbury will depart a minute earlier than usual from Wolverhampton, Bilbrook, Codsall, Albrighton, Cosford, Shifnal and Telford. Trains from Shrewsbury towards Birmingham are unchanged.

No leaf fall timetable changes are due to be made by the following operators: Avanti West Coast, c2c, Caledonian Sleeper, CrossCountry, Elizabeth line, Gatwick Express, Grand Central, Great Northern, Great Western Railway, Greater Anglia, Heathrow Express, Hull Trains, Island Line, London North Eastern Railway, London Overground, Lumo, Southern, Stansted Express, Thameslink, TransPennine Express and Transport for Wales.