Wet Leaves Delay VRE Manassas Trains

Virginia Railway Express trains experienced massive delays, if not all out cancellations Thursday due to an unlikely source— fallen wet leaves.

 It’s not actually the leaves themselves, but the slippery oil they create when wet, VRE officials said.

 The oil affects the rails and the trains’ traction.

 Manassas Line Train 335 was cancelled while proceeding trains were delayed.

 While VRE officials said the leaf oil happens every year, Manassas Park resident and Councilman Preston Banks said this is the first time it has caused train delays in the five years he’s been riding to and from work.

 “A lot of people are affected—for example, parents who need to pick up their children from daycare,” he said. “There needs to be contingency plan for such long delays to allow for riders to get home.”

 After being stuck on the train for several hours, Banks said he eventually abandoned the mode of transportation and hopped a cab home.

 VRE Manassas Line Train 337’s efforts to navigate the rails, burned off some of the oil, making conditions better for trains following it, according to a VRE message tweeted at 7:03 p.m. Thursday.