Media centre

Thursday 5 Sep 2024

Leaf it out!: New poll finds people in the south west believe that weather chat is the most classic British trait as Network Rail appeals for help in naming a leafbuster

Region & Route:

Wales & Western: Western

| Wales & Western

• A new poll has found talking about the weather is seen as the most classic British trait for people in the south west, ahead of drinking tea and respecting ‘the queue’.   
• With autumn just around the corner and the changing seasons set to provoke even more weather chat, Network Rail is appealing to the public to help name one of its fleet of leaf-busting trains keeping Britain moving this autumn.  
• Send your name nominations to nametheleafbuster@networkrail.co.uk before Friday 20 September.  

Our fascination with the weather has been laid-bare in a new poll which shows 70% of people in the south west thought having a natter about the weather was a classic British trait, ahead of drinking tea (55%), and queuing (44%).  

Almost half of respondents from the south west (47%) said they would discuss the weather with anyone, whilst 11% even admitted to chatting to strangers about the weather on their morning commute.  

The most common expressions for describing the weather in the south west were “it’s tipping it down” (71%), with respondents also likely to use “it’s raining cats and dogs” (57%) to describe heavy rain.  

The poll also found that four in ten adults in the south west felt heavy snow was the most disruptive weather condition to their day-to-day life, tied with heavy rain. Just 5% identified heavy leaf-fall as the most disruptive.  

With the nights’ drawing in and temperatures beginning to drop, there’s bound to be plenty of discussion about the changing of the seasons amongst Brits in the weeks ahead, but the autumn conversations never stop at Network Rail.  

Train delays caused by leaves on the line can provoke some traditional British gallows humour amongst passengers, but leaves represent a serious threat for the railway here, and across the globe.  When trains pass over leaves, the heat and weight of the trains bake them into a thin, slippery layer on the rail, similar to black ice on the roads. This mulch can also interfere with signalling systems, forming a barrier between the train wheels and the electrical parts of the track that help us to pin-point where trains are. 

With more than 13 million trees on and next to the railway in Britain, tackling leaf-fall requires a massive operation. Network Rail’s dedicated leaf-fall teams work around the clock to clear tracks, with specialised leaf-fall forecasting and- the stars of the show- a fleet of multi-purpose vehicles - will treat 1.12 million miles of track- the distance around the world approximately 40 times between September and December.  

So to offer some light re-leaf this autumn, Network Rail has teamed up with railway historian and tv presenter Tim Dunn to offer you the chance to anoint one of the unsung heroes of the British autumn with a befitting name.  

Name the leafbuster  

Whether it’s paying tribute to a revered person (Leafer Sutherland) or if you’ve just got an unbeleafable pun, get your nominations in before Friday 20 September to be in with a chance to see one of Network Rail’s leaf-busters adorned with your chosen name.  

Tim Dunn, railway writer, historian and presenter said:  “I’m delighted to get behind this campaign, which highlights how Network Rail’s leaf-busters help reduce delays and keep passengers moving during the autumn period.  This is a terrific opportunity for the public to name one of these high-tech marvellous machines so get those suggestions in now.  I'm confident you can do better than my entry: 'Trainy McTrainFace.” 

Lisa Angus, Network Rail’s industry weather response director, said: “The scale of the operation involved in keeping passengers moving through the Autumn is monumental and this year will be our biggest yet, with more miles being covered by our leaf-busters and more technology being used than ever before.   

“Our leaf-busting trains are the unsung heroes of the British autumn and we’re excited to hear the creative naming nominations for one of the vehicles which will travel the length and breadth of the country this year to keep the railway running safely and reliably.”