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Tuesday 19 Nov 2024

Track and train join forces to tackle leaf fall this Autumn

Region & Route:

Southern

| Southern: Wessex

• South Western Railway trains fitted with specialist sand applicator technology
• 39 passenger trains using this tech strengthens the 25-strong fleet of Network Rail leaf busting trains already fighting leaves on the line
• Better grip significantly reduces stopping distances
• First time this advanced technology – developed by Siemens Mobility – has been used by passenger trains across the south of England

A new initiative between Network Rail and South Western Railway (SWR) has more than doubled the number of trains treating the railway and keeping the tracks leaf-free this Autumn.

In a first for the railway across the south of England, a SWR-inspired and Network Rail-funded project to improve rail adhesion has seen 39 SWR Class 158 and 159 trains retrofitted with specialist technology that applies sand to the tracks to help improve wheel grip during the wet and slippery autumn and winter months.

The technology, developed and fitted by Siemens Mobility, is an upgrade to existing sanding mechanisms already fitted on some trains, by providing a more efficient sanding application that releases sand at a variable rate dependent on the speed of the train and condition of the tracks.

These new, advanced sand applicators can distribute up to 5kg of sand onto the tracks per minute, and automatically apply sand when a train is braking. As a result, the distance it takes a train to stop is significantly reduced.

SWR’s fleet of Class 158 and 159 trains are diesel powered and generally run on parts of the railway that do not have the electrified third rail, such as the West of England Line which connects Waterloo to Exeter, as well as in the Romsey area and occasionally between Salisbury and Reading.

Leaf-busting trains

Nationally, a fleet of multi-purpose vehicles travel the distance of up to 40 times around the world each autumn. Multi-purpose vehicles are used for a variety of jobs on the railway; including weeding, de-icing and cleaning the railhead to ensure the train wheels stick to the tracks.

Across Network Rail’s Southern region – which covers the railway in the south of England from Weymouth to Brighton to Dover – tackling the issue of leaf-fall requires a massive operation, with advanced planning, specialised forecasting and – the stars of the show – Network Rail’s fleet of ‘leaf-busting’ trains which will again be in action this Autumn to keep the railway leaf free and running reliably.

19 trains known as Windhoff Multipurpose Vehicles (MPVs) and 6 trains called RHTTs (rail head treatment trains) will operate from the region’s seasonal delivery depots in Effingham, Horsham and Tonbridge.

The specialist trains are equipped with high pressure water jets to blast leaves off the lines and where necessary apply a sand-like gel to help trains grip the rail better. Operating until mid-December, across Network Rail’s Southern region they will treat a total of 318,000 miles of track – roughly 12 times around the planet – working tirelessly to rid the railway of leaves.

Following a successful trial across Wessex route last year, Network Rail is also using a rail cleaner, Interflon LeafGuard, which is quick-acting and does not require rinsing or wiping. Applied either by hand or via a Sand Rover – a specially-adapted 4x4 Land Rover vehicle which can travel on rails and on the road and scrape slippery leaf mulch off the tracks owing to specially mounted wire brushes – this solution self-cleans and leaves behind a micro layer that is reactivated by rainwater and moisture, keeping the rail head surface clean for longer.

Drones are also being deployed to aerially inspect the railway and reduce the need for line closures while high-definition video cameras mounted onto the front of trains – known as Automated Intelligent Video Review (AIVR) – capture high-definition images and video to help maintenance teams identify any areas of track where the railhead has been contaminated by leaves or ice, so treatment can be focussed in areas that need extra attention.

The railway’s black ice

Between October and December every year, roughly 500 billion leaves, weighing around half a million tonnes fall onto the railway. They stick to damp rails and passing trains crush them into a thin, hard layer on the rail which, a lot like black ice on the roads, can affect braking and acceleration.

Autumn timetables

Just like you wouldn’t accelerate over black ice on the roads, we can’t risk passenger safety by driving trains at full speed over leaves.

In areas with very heavy leaf-fall some train operators publish special autumn timetables with revised journey timings, including South Western Railway which operates across Network Rail’s Wessex route. These timetables allow extra time for train drivers to drive more cautiously due to the slippery conditions caused by leaf fall, ice and snow, so that they can get passengers to where they need to go safely and reliably.

Mark Goodall, Network Rail’s Wessex Route Director, said: “Every year our teams work extremely hard to keep the tracks leaf-free during the Autumn so that passenger and freight services can continue running safely and reliably. This requires a huge operation and a significant number of miles covered by our leaf-busting trains.

“This sand applicator technology and partnership with SWR will undoubtedly help extend and complement our efforts to rid the tracks of leaves and help trains to better grip the tracks even in the wettest and slippery of conditions.”

Neil Drury, South Western Railway Engineering and Infrastructure Director, said: “The new sanding system for our fleet of Class 158 and Class 159 trains will improve safety and help keep our services running on time in some of the most challenging conditions for the railway.

“Our engineers have done a brilliant job to efficiently install the system on all 39 of our trains and get them back out on the network to serve customers. The results show a clear difference compared to the previous sanding system, halving the stopping distances on slippery rails.

“Our partnership with Network Rail and Siemens Mobility is a great example of how the rail industry can come together and improve safety and performance.”

Sambit Banerjee, Joint CEO UKI, Siemens Mobility, said: “We are delighted to see our cutting-edge Variable Rate Sanding technology being installed on 39 of the Class 158/159 units for SWR and reaching the milestone of going into passenger service.

“This innovative technology optimises the rate at which sand is spread, significantly enhancing braking performance in challenging conditions, like wet conditions or autumn leaves on the line, enabling braking performance almost matching dry conditions. With a target braking force of 4%g, the SVRS system consistently achieved above 5%g braking in all scenarios in testing.

“This has been an excellent collaboration between SWR and Network Rail, underscoring our combined commitment to improving rail safety and we are grateful to have been supported by research from the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB). This is a great achievement for the innovation team at Siemens Mobility, and the technology was Highly Commended at the National Rail Awards, being recognised as having great potential for trains across the whole UK railway.”