Northern plea to customers as worse-than-usual autumn conditions affect services

All trains on the Preston to Ormskirk line will be cancelled, whilst the 6.57am Doncaster to Leeds service will also not operate.

Services on other lines across the network may feature reduced carriages as our trains continue to suffer from damaged wheels as a result of leaves on the line. Some services may also be subject to short notice delays and cancellations as the difficult conditions persist in many areas.

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.”

The spokesman added: “To keep such disruption to a minimum we're working hard to keep the tracks in the best possible condition. Our trains are fitted with sanders which treat the tracks as they move and Network Rail has leaf busting maintenance trains which blast water and sand onto the tracks to remove leaves and provide more grip for trains.”

Details of services can be checked via the Northern journey check or National Rail Enquiries.

For more details about why leaves affect rail services click here.