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Monday 3 Oct 2022

Drones and leaf busting trains keeping rail routes clear this autumn

Region & Route:

North West & Central: Central

| North West & Central

A special fleet of ‘leaf-busting’ trains have started blasting leaves off the line to help keep passengers and freight moving across the West Midlands and Chiltern main line this autumn.

From this week until mid-December, five specialist trains will wash leaf debris from a total of 83,459 miles of track across the region while trees are shedding their leaves.

Aerial drones are also being used for the first time to check known hotspots where leaf fall can cause the worst disruption.

The seasonal delivery depot at Kings Norton in Birmingham is the nerve centre for keeping tracks in the West Midlands, West Coast main line to Euston and Chiltern main line to Marylebone clear for passengers this autumn.

Three trains known as MPVs (multi-purpose vehicles) and two trains called RHTTs (rail head treatment trains) will operate from the Kings Norton depot.

The total miles of track treated over this time will be equivalent to going almost three and a half times around the equator.

After railway lines have been cleared with high pressure water jets, the machines then apply rails with a glue-like coating to help passenger and freight train wheels grip the tracks.

Regarded as the railway’s equivalent of black ice on the roads, leaves on the line can create issues when they stick to damp rails and are compressed by moving trains into a thin, black layer which can affect train braking and acceleration.

The build-up of leaf mulch can also make it harder for signallers to detect a train’s location, causing delays.

Martin Colmey, operations director for Network Rail’s Central route, said: “Leaves on the line are a big problem for the railway. It disrupts services and inconveniences passengers and every year, Network Rail and train operators work together to battle against the elements to get passengers and freight to their destinations.

“We are ready to keep people and goods moving across the West Midlands and Chiltern Main line running a safe and reliable service for our customers.”

Last year Network Rail spent £4.7million to keep passengers in the West Midlands and across the Chiltern main line moving during autumn.

This year, 108 traction gel applicators have been positioned across the Central route. They spray a special sand-like gel onto the rails to help provide extra grip for train wheels.

Specialist teams will be positioned across the region to check that the autumn treatment programme is working effectively and provide additional support where necessary.

For more information on how Network Rail deals with leaves on the line visit www.networkrail.co.uk/leaves