WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES NOVEMBER 4, 2021 13
How the LIRR combats an astonishingly annoying problem: Fallen leaves
BY PHIL ENG
When you think of fall in New
York, your mind likely fills
with images of beautiful foliage
and maybe some pumpkins or
apple picking. For us at the railroad,
the season is significant: While the
leaves are pretty to look at, they’re a
menace to railroad operations.
When wet leaves on tracks get
crushed by steel train wheels, a slippery
substance called pectin forms
and coats the rails. Pectin affects
how our trains brake and can cause
a “slip-slide” effect, where a train
with brakes activated slides along
the rail instead of braking, creating
flat spots on the wheel. In these
instances, the train must be taken
OP-ED
out of service in order to repair flat
wheels. This inconveniences customers,
lessens the number of cars we
have in operation, and costs money
to fix in addition to causing delays
and cancellations — none of which
we like to see happen.
After dealing with this issue unsuccessfully
for decades, we at the
LIRR found a solution. Two years
ago, we partnered with a company to
launch the first laser train in North
America. It works by using highintensity
lasers to remove layers of
pectin from the tracks. These trains
have proved so efficient, we added
a second laser train last year and
increased its speed, allowing us to
cover more territory more quickly.
The initiative has yielded major
year-over-year improvements in
service while ultimately paying for
itself through reduced labor and
material costs. In 2020, low-adhesion
delays were down 66% (246 trains)
compared to 2019, and down 79% (473
trains) compared to 2018. On costs,
labor expenses related to fixing
flat wheels have decreased by 34%.
These figures show that our technology
works, and it’s saving customers
valuable time while saving the LIRR
valuable funding.
This year we’re looking to build
upon these successes. Our team is
working closely with the vendor to
improve maintainability and effectiveness
of the laser so that our laser
trains are more reliable and their
maintenance more efficient. This
means our laser trains will experience
less downtime in between runs,
which again saves us money while
deploying the trains faster.
I’m incredibly proud of the LIRR
team for making this new technology
not only a reality, but a successful
one. While each fall season
brings its own challenges, this
cutting-edge innovation gives us a
leg up on Mother Nature’s powerful
force. We know that we cannot stop
weather events — which are only
getting worse and more frequent in
recent years — but we can mitigate
the impacts.
We are laser focused as we lead the
way to better service and welcoming
back New York to the LIRR.
Phil Eng is president of MTA Long
Island Rail Road.
SNAPS
PUP WAITS OUTSIDE MARTHA’S IN FOREST HILLS
PHOTO BY JOE ABATE
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