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Thursday 14 Jan 2016

Network Rail’s orange army working round the clock to keep passengers moving during cold snap

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National

With temperatures dropping across Britain and snow on the ground in many places this morning, Network Rail’s orange army are working round the clock to keep tracks clear of sleet, snow and ice so passengers aren’t affected by unnecessary delays.

Just like road and air travel, wintry weather can pose challenges for the rail network. To help keep passengers moving, Network Rail operates a special winter fleet – complete with snowploughs, hot air blowers, steam jets, brushes, scrapers and anti-freeze – to clear snow and ice from the tracks and has fitted over 100km of special heating strips to prevent ice building up on conductor rails which power trains in the south and south east of England. 

NASA-grade insulation and special heaters have been fitted to thousands of sets of points to prevent ice forming at key junctions, monitored by a combination of smart technology and helicopter-mounted thermal imaging.

Network Rail also works closely with train operators to run empty trains throughout the night to help keep tracks clear – while thousands of members of Network Rail’s orange army will also be patrolling the tracks day and night clearing snow and ice from junctions and tunnels to keep railways across Britain running. 

A Network Rail spokesperson said: “With temperatures set to drop below zero across the country this week, thousands of our people will be patrolling the tracks day and night to clear snow and ice and keep passengers moving. We’ll also be running our fleet of anti-icing trains and working closely with train operators to run empty passenger trains throughout the night to prevent ice forming on tracks and live power rails.

“For the toughest conditions, we have ten specialist snow and ice treatment trains fitted with snowploughs, hot air blowers, steam jets, brushes, scrapers and jets for heated anti-freeze and compressed air to quickly de-ice tracks.

“More than four million people and thousands of businesses rely on our network every day, so it’s vital we do all we can to provide a safe, reliable railway for passengers and freight whatever the weather. That’s why we started our winter planning in September last year and have got the right mix of people, trains and technology primed and ready to go during the cold weather.” 

How Network Rail minimises disruption caused by snow and ice:

• We have ten snow and ice treatment trains (SITTs) fitted with snowploughs, hot air blowers, steam jets, brushes, scrapers and jets for heated anti-freeze and compressed air to quickly de-ice tracks.
• We've attached heaters and NASA-grade insulation to points to prevent ice forming and added protective covers to 4,000 points and 2,500 points motors to keep snow out and prevent damage by ice falling from trains.
• Thousands of our people patrol the tracks day and night clearing snow and ice from junctions and tunnels.
• Our remote temperature monitoring and a helicopter fitted with thermal imaging cameras identify points heaters that are not working effectively. 
• Anti-icing fluid and heating strips are used on live conductor rails to prevent ice building up and preventing trains from drawing power; the addition of heating strips has reduced ice-related incidents by up to 80%.
• Train companies run empty trains through the night to help keep tracks clear, and passenger trains can be fitted with snow ploughs which can clear up to eight inches of snow – if it's deeper, we send in our fleet of dedicated snowploughs.
• Major routes that are the most at risk have been fitted with fences that prevent snow blowing on to the tracks.
• In areas badly affected by “frost heave” – where water in the ballast freezes, expands and moves the track – we have re-laid it using a shallower bed of ballast to reduce the movement.
• Vegetation that is too close to the track is cut back – a continuous challenge as we have over 20,000 miles of track.
• We work with train companies to optimise the performance of their trains, including upgrades to train software, heated couplings and improvements to door designs to prevent ice build-up.
• We share best practice with Sweden, Switzerland and other countries to improve how we deal with snow and ice and minimise the impact on the travelling public.

Detailed forecasts from weather experts MetDesk are used by Network Rail to formulate local action plans during adverse weather in order to minimise any disruption to passengers. The forecasts cover not just the weather but how the conditions will impact on specific railway infrastructure such as the tracks, conductor rails and overhead power lines. A network of hundreds of monitoring stations also provides real-time weather data, enabling Network Rail to respond to conditions as they develop in real time.

Network Rail’s winter preparedness regime begins in September each year. Special trains and equipment are fully checked and any repairs carried out, while contingency plans are reviewed and agreed with train operators to keep passengers moving during adverse weather.