STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Recently, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority warned the borough’s commuters to expect delays on the Staten Island Railway for the foreseeable future.
And the reason should be familiar to any regular passengers on the borough’s lone train line — falling leaves.
As is the case every fall, commuters should plan for additional travel time as trains navigate leaves on the tracks, the MTA stated.
According to the agency, the leaves create a slippery residue on the rails when crushed by train wheels. As such, trains could run at a reduced speed and travel slower than usual when entering or leaving stations.
The transit agency warned riders to expect these delays through the middle of December.
Recently, the MTA announced that the entirety of the Staten Island Railway fleet has been upgraded to new, state-of-the-art train cars.
The R211S cars have fully replaced the older R44 cars, which had been in service on Staten Island since 1973 and were among the oldest in the New York City transit system.