Network Rail jet trains leaf-ing their mark on the railway to help keep South Western Railway trains running safely through autumn: Paul Plawecki of Balfour Beatty and Rob Davis of Network Rail with a leaf-busting train

Friday 9 Oct 2020

Network Rail jet trains leaf-ing their mark on the railway to help keep South Western Railway trains running safely through autumn

Region & Route:
Southern
| Southern: Wessex

Wet and windy autumns are keeping Network Rail’s Southern Region’s leaf-busting team busy keeping passengers safe and on-time as thousands of leaves fall on tracks across the area.

The company’s fleet of water jetting trains are well into their stride, on the way to running an incredible 300,000 miles this season as the company mixes brute force with technology to keep trains running. The company gets at least two weather and leaf-fall reports every day to predict conditions and uses those predictions to plan its work and where to focus efforts.

Leaves on the line are no joke, as they get crushed under train wheels and turned into a black ice-like layer*, that makes it harder for trains to grip and in extreme circumstances can stop signalling systems even knowing where trains are.

Network Rail Southern Region’s Rob Davis said: “It’s so important for our passengers to know we’re doing all we can to keep trains moving reliably for them, particularly during the COVID crisis where people need more space. We’re seeing much more wet and windy weather these days and our fleet of trains is running 24/7 to deal with the leaves that those conditions leave on the line.

“Our train fleet uses water jets to blast the rails clean, at such high pressures that if we stopped the trains from moving they would actually cut clean through the steel. We also lay a paste of gel, sand and steel filings to help trains grip and keep signalling systems working properly.

“This year they will run 300,000 miles over the Southern Region, from Weymouth to Whitstable and all points in between, and will lay almost 50,000 miles of gel on the way. We’re also continuing to manage our trees by the railway and keep the leaves from falling the first place, with an investment of £49m between now and 2024.”

As well as leaf-busting trains, Network Rail has “traction gel applicators” at particularly “leafy” and steep parts on the network, and its mobile teams have equipment in their vans to manually clear the railheads of leaf mulch.

James Royal, South Western Railway’s Performance Strategy Manager, said: “We know it sounds like a strange reason for delays and disruption, but leaf fall can cause dangerously slippery conditions on the railway. Our number one priority is the safety of our customers, and this autumn we are working harder than ever to keep people moving safely.

“With the help of our high-tech and immersive simulator, all our drivers are well-prepared to deal with slippery conditions, while depot teams are working flat-out to improve wheel adhesion. We have also designed our timetable specifically to take account of leaf fall and minimise any disruption.

“Working alongside Network Rail, we will continue to get a grip on autumn and ensure our customers can get to where they need to be”.

This year we are working harder than ever to overcome the challenges posed by autumn so that we can not only keep our customers moving but keep them safe too.

*When leaves are crushed, the action of compressing them creates heat, which bakes the leaves to the rails, like burning sugar onto the bottom of a pan. Leaves with high sugar contents and lots of moisture, such as oaks, create more problems than less “juicy” leaves.

Notes to Editors

Leaf fall facts:

Network Rail receives at least two weather forecasts a day, with leaf fall estimates, so it can plan its response.

Our Southern Region leaf-busting train fleet ran 12 times round the world last year – 300,000 miles.

That is:

Kent Route: 101,000 miles

Sussex Route: 86,000 miles

Wessex Route: 116,000 miles

We’ve got 19 multi-purpose vehicles and 6 Rail Head Treatment Trains in Southern Region.

MPVs carry 35,000 litres of water in 2 tanks and can cover 200miles in a shift.

RHTT’s carry 85,000 litres of water in 5 tanks and can cover 400miles in a shift.

Don't forget to wave when you see them!

Contact information

Passengers / community members
Network Rail national helpline
03457 11 41 41

Latest travel advice
Please visit National Rail Enquiries

Journalists
Network Rail press office - Chris Denham
Senior media relations manager
020 3357 7969
07515 626530
chris.denham@networkrail.co.uk

About Network Rail

We own, operate and develop Britain's railway infrastructure; that's 20,000 miles of track, 30,000 bridges, tunnels and viaducts and the thousands of signals, level crossings and stations. We run 20 of the UK's largest stations while all the others, over 2,500, are run by the country's train operating companies.

Usually, there are almost five million journeys made in the UK and over 600 freight trains run on the network. People depend on Britain's railway for their daily commute, to visit friends and loved ones and to get them home safe every day. Our role is to deliver a safe and reliable railway, so we carefully manage and deliver thousands of projects every year that form part of the multi-billion pound Railway Upgrade Plan, to grow and expand the nation's railway network to respond to the tremendous growth and demand the railway has experienced - a doubling of passenger journeys over the past 20 years.

Follow us on Twitter: @networkrail
Visit our online newsroom: www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk