Trees vs trains

I always wondered about trains slipping on leaves. I never thought too deeply about why it only seems to have become a problem in recent decades.

This explains why.

For all the popular ridicule the rail services receive for the excuse of "leaves on the line", the fact is that it is a real excuse: the leaves rot, creating slime, making rails slippery. There used to be a very simple solution: cut down all the trees anywhere near a railway line. But people like trees, so we have a problem.

It doesn't seem to be a problem in Australia - we seem to have the right sort of trees. Except maybe around tram lines in Melbourne.

When did we start thinking that allowing trees to live was more important than getting people to work on time?

Bastard trees.

I hope Bob Brown is late for work for the rest of his life. Not that anyone would care whether he turned up on time or not.