Media centre

Monday 25 Oct 2004

MEDIA INVITE: SEE NETWORK RAIL’S ‘LEAF GANGS’ IN ACTION

Region & Route:

| Southern

Date:                           Tuesday 2 November 2004 Time:                          4am Location:                    Spooner Row station, Norfolk Media contact:          Laura Dobson  020 7557 8103         ‘Leaves on the line’; the annual joke - or is it? Have you ever wondered why leaves on the line cause train delays every year?  What is the problem and what are we doing about it?  Do you really know the issues? You are invited to a one-off demonstration of ‘an hour in the life’ of one of Network Rail’s dedicated leaf gangs.  You can speak to our Weather Strategy Manager about the problems of autumn leaf-fall, why we’re spending £5 million this year in East Anglia alone, and how a bucket of sand can be a simple and effective way to combat the effects of leaves on the line.  You will see our leaf gangs demonstrate their leaf-busting techniques, and talk to a man who has been tackling this problem on the railways for 10 years! If you would like to attend this demonstration and really explore the amount of planning, man-hours and money that is invested in autumn each year, please call Laura Dobson for more information.