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Monday 14 Sep 2026

Leaf it to us: Scotland's railway gets a grip on autumn

Region & Route:

Scotland’s Railway: Scotland

Network Rail is beginning its annual autumn operation across Scotland to help keep trains running reliably during the railway's most challenging time of year.

Every autumn, millions of leaves fall onto the tracks. As trains pass over them, they’re crushed into a slippery layer, drastically reducing the grip needed for trains to brake and accelerate. The result can be delays, disruption and longer journey times for passengers.

Months of planning go into preparing Scotland’s railway for the season, with specialist teams, eight treatment trains and innovative technology deployed across the network to minimise the impact on services. This year, more than 80,000 miles of track will be treated in 370 circuits, using 155 tonnes of sand to improve grip.

The action is delivering positive results, with delays attributed to autumn falling by more than a quarter last year compared with the previous autumn. However, despite these improvements, autumn-related delays still cost the railway around £1m each year, underlining the scale of the challenge to keep passengers moving.

Heather Waugh, customer driver for Lumo, sees firsthand the challenges autumn can bring to the railway. She said: “Autumn can completely change how the railway feels. You can approach the same stretch of track you've driven hundreds of times before and find conditions are completely different from one day to the next. For drivers, it's often described as the railway's equivalent of black ice on the roads.

"As drivers, we have to stay alert, adjust how we drive and think ahead. The work that happens behind the scenes to treat the track and prepare the railway for autumn makes a huge difference. It gives us the best possible conditions to operate safely and helps passengers get where they need to be."

This year's autumn operation includes the introduction of new technology and equipment designed to improve reliability and reduce delays for passengers.

ScotRail's Class 158 trains, which run on many routes across Scotland including the Highlands and northeast, will be fitted with sanders for the first time to improve grip between train wheels and the track. The £7.7m rollout of Double Variable Rate Sanding (DVS) technology will also be completed, which automatically adjusts the amount of sand applied according to the train’s speed.

A new sand rover vehicle will be introduced on the Far North Line to apply a specialist gel treatment to the track, improving grip and helping reduce delays.

Alongside these measures, teams across Scotland will carry out targeted vegetation clearance and drainage maintenance.

Craig Milne, operations director at Network Rail Scotland, said: “Autumn is a challenge we know is coming every year, but that doesn’t make it any less demanding. It has the potential to affect train services on a scale that no other season does.

“We've learned a lot about managing the impact and we've become much better at it, but success is never guaranteed. The work we do over the next few months is crucial to keeping Scotland moving and minimising the impact of autumn on the people who depend on the railway every day.”

Mark Ilderton, ScotRail Service delivery director, said: “Autumn is always one of the most challenging periods of the year for the railway, and a huge amount of preparation goes into reducing the impact on our customers.

“We’ve been working round the clock to prepare our trains and our stations for the change in weather, while working with colleagues at Network Rail to keep rails and train wheels clean.

“Leaves on the line can create conditions similar to black ice on the roads, so safety has to come first. The investment in new sanding technology, alongside the work taking place across the network and at our depots, will help us keep trains moving safely and reliably.

“We’re also making some minor changes to a small number of services to keep the timetable running as smoothly as possible. We’ll continue to keep customers updated throughout the autumn and would encourage everyone to check their journey before travelling through the ScotRail app or website.”