Scotland's Railway will use specialist trains, timetable tweaks and innovative technology to keep passengers and freight running on time throughout autumn.
(Permalink) Leaves on the line Network Rail Scotland

Space-age technology using lasers and plasma jets are being trialled as a more sustainable way to vaporise autumn leaves from railway lines and minimise passenger delays in the future.
(Permalink) Leaves on the line

New laser technology which 'zaps' leaves building up on trainlines will be trialled by Network Rail for the first time this autumn. There were 3,450 hours of delays due to leaves over last four years.
(Permalink) Leaves on the line Network Rail

Sheffield University engineers say pellet-blasting system removes leaves more efficiently and will reduce delays. Dry ice will be blasted on to railway lines in northern England in a trial aimed at removing leaves more efficiently than current methods. University of Sheffield engineers have developed a leaf-clearing technique that will be 'trialled' by the train operator Northern on a passenger service in the coming weeks. [Dry Ice has been used in Scotland since 2020. -RS]
(Permalink) Dry Ice Leaves Leaves on the line Northern

The new method of removing leaves from tracks will be 'trialled' across northern England in the coming weeks. [Dry Ice has been used in Scotland since 2020. -RS]
(Permalink) Dry Ice Leaves Leaves on the line Northern

Researchers from the University of Sheffield, in collaboration with Icetech Technologies, have used dry ice to develop a new solution to the problem of leaves on the line, which cause delays, cancellations and timetable changes for rail passengers.

Millions of trees line the 20,000 miles of rail track in the UK, shedding an estimated 50 million leaves onto the tracks every autumn. As the leaves fall onto the rails, they are compacted under the weight of trains into a smooth, slippery layer sticking to the tracks and causing trains to lose their grip the rail equivalent of black ice on the roads.
(Permalink) Dry Ice Icetech Technologies Leaves on the line University of Sheffield