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Tuesday 29 Apr 2025

Network Rail signs new deal to keep tracks clear in autumn and winter

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National

A new five-year deal has been signed to run Network Rail’s fleet of autumn and winter treatment trains, keeping tracks clear and passengers and freight on time.

The c£850m contract covers weedkilling, leaf-blasting, anti-ice and snow ploughing trains, with optional three yearly extensions on the table. The services will begin from August 2025 and run through until 2030 and possibly beyond.

Network Rail’s supply chain delivery director Adam Southern said: “Running trains reliably and safely in autumn and winter is a tough challenge and we rely heavily on specialist operators and equipment. Leaves on the line get crushed under train wheels and leave a material like black-ice on tracks, which can cause signals to fail and trains to slide. Ice on live rails can cause trains to stall and we all know the disruption that heavy snow can cause.

“These contracts with established hauliers see our fleet of treatment trains maintained and run well for the next five years at least, providing passengers and freight customers with a reliable service whatever the weather.”

The contracts include the introduction of six re-engineered MPVs, redesigned from overhead line use to seasonal vehicles with brand-new water jetting equipment to ease pressure on the existing fleet. In addition, the contracts will facilitate the introduction of further vehicles and new technologies as they are separately developed during the term.

Freight operator GB Railfreight will run Network Rail’s Multi-Purpose Vehicles (MPVs) in the north of the country, with Balfour Beatty doing the same in the south. MPVs water jet leaf mulch from the railhead and apply adhesion modifier (a mix of sand, metal particles and water) in autumn, apply anti-ice fluid in winter and some herbicide weedspray services

A mix of Colas and GB Railfreight will look after locomotive-hauled Rail Head Treatment Trains, with each operator running different circuits. Rail Head Treatment Trains are designed for water-jetting leaf mulch in autumn on longer runs than the MPVs.

Altogether Network Rail has 32 MPVs across the country and 29 RHTTs.

The company’s fleet of 10 Snow and Ice Treatment trains will be looked after by GB Railfreight and finally Colas will be responsible for running snow clearance services, ranging from snow ploughs to Scotland’s small fleet of two snow blowers.