Media centre

Friday 29 Oct 2004

LEAVES ON THE LINE – IT’S NO JOKE

Region & Route:

| Southern

As this autumn’s strong winds and rainy weather continue, Network Rail is stepping up its efforts to keep trains on the move.  With the leaf fall season officially underway and special timetables already in use by train companies, Network Rail’s ‘extreme weather action teams’ are working around-the-clock in the fight against Mother Nature. Simon Smith, Network Rail’s Weather Strategy Manager, explains: “Although we can never control the elements, we can benefit from past experience and put up a strong resistance to the challenges of autumn leaf-fall on the railways.  This year, in East Anglia alone, £5m and over 5000 man hours will be dedicated to combating the problem of leaves on the line.” The problem East Anglia’s railway network is made up of 2,424 miles of track.  Trees and foliage line much of the route and each autumn their leaves fall onto the track, but this can have a severe impact on the safety and performance of the region’s train services.  Wet leaves fall onto the rails and are crushed by train wheels, creating a thick, hard and slippery surface, similar to Teflon, the coating used in non-stick frying pans.  It is the equivalent of black ice on the roads.  Trains slip when pulling away or braking, which can cause them to overrun stations or signals and result in delays to passengers. Crushed leaves can also have an insulating effect, interfering with signalling systems that detect the position of a train.  Trains can literally disappear from a signaller’s map – an effect known as ‘ghosting’.  Delays result while the leaves are cleared and systems restored.  Weather and seasonal factors account for 10% of all delays on the railways.  Last year, extensive preparations and detailed response plans helped deliver one of the most successful autumn periods on record, with 27% fewer delays than the previous year.  Network Rail’s weather teams are committed to continuing this good work, and preparations for this autumn began back in December 2003. Simon Smith continued: “The key to preventing delays is good planning.  We know our area, understand the problems and do as much preparation as possible to minimise the effects of the dreaded leaves.  We receive daily forecasts from the Met Office which allow us to keep several days ahead of the game.” The solution East Anglia has a fleet of seven ‘leaf-busting’ trains which travel the network day and night, specially equipped with high-powered water jets to blast leaves off the line.  They also lay down a gritty substance called sandite, which has the texture of wallpaper paste and helps trains grip the track. If these vehicles are unable to remove the leaf mulch or cannot reach a problem area, one of three regional ‘leaf gangs’ is deployed to tackle the leaves by hand.  East Anglia has a team of six dedicated leaf workers and many more operational staff, armed with a variety of specialised equipment and techniques to clean up the track.  These include: ·                     Backpacks full of ‘Orange Cleanse’ solution to dissolve the crushed leaves ·                     Petrol-driven ‘rail scrubbers’, with wire brushes or pads to scrub the rails clean ·                     Portable ‘sand-sticks’ and ‘sand-prams’ to spread sandite or plain sand onto the track Simon Smith concluded: “There are people who think leaves on the line are a joke.  To us, it’s a very real problem shared by railways around the world.” “We’re doing everything in our power to keep the effects of autumn leaf-fall at bay.  I’m confident that the careful planning and dedication of our teams will help us to keep any seasonal delays to an absolute minimum.”