Leaves continue to plague South Shore Line with gooey residue

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Gooey leaves on the rails have caused the South Shore Line’s on-time performance to plummet in November, leaving railroad officials scrambling for additional ways to address the problem.

Assistant Chief Transportation Officer Sara Krga said the railroad is doing better than last year, 88 wheels damaged by slipping last November compared to 28 so far this month.

“Last year at this time, we really struggled through the leaf season,” President and General Manager Michael Noland said.

Krga walked the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District board through ways the railroad is trying to lessen the impact.

“It’s a really a phenomenon that’s primarily, not exclusively, limited to our single-level cars,” Noland said.

Bilevel cars are heavi