Autumn treatment trains out 24-hours a day to keep the North West moving

Network Rail’s ‘leaf-busting’ trains have started blasting leaves off the line to help keep passengers and freight moving across the North West this autumn.

From today (1 October) until 13 December, eight specialist trains will wash leaf debris from a total of 95,000 miles of track across the region 13 while trees are shedding their leaves.

The total miles treated over this time will be equivalent to going 3.81 times around the equator.

After the tracks have been cleared the machines then apply rails with a glue-like coating to help passenger and freight train wheels grip the tracks.

Regarded as the railway’s equivalent of black ice on the roads, leaves on the line can create issues when they stick to damp rails and are compressed by moving trains into a thin, black layer which can affect train braking and acceleration.

The build-up of leaf mulch can also make it harder for signallers to detect a train’s location, causing delays.

Phil James, Network Rail’s North West route director, said: “Leaves on the line are a big problem for the railway. It disrupts services and inconveniences passengers and every year, Network Rail and train operators work together to battle against the elements to get passengers and freight to their destinations.”

Last year Network Rail spent £4 million on the North West route during its autumn efforts to keep passengers moving.

This year, 179 track gel applicators have been positioned across the region's rail network. They spray a special sand-like gel onto the rails to help provide extra grip for train wheels.

Specialist teams will be positioned across the North West to check that our autumn treatment programme is working effectively and provide additional support where necessary.

Phil added: “Even more work has gone into getting prepared for autumn this year because of the challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic, including how we operate the trains themselves. We are ready to keep people and goods moving across the North West by running a safe and reliable service for our customers.”

As well as keeping passengers on the move, the autumn treatment trains will also secure routes for freight traffic.

Every 24 hours, 131,000 tonnes of critical supplies - including food, fuel and medicine - are being moved by rail between Cheshire, Derbyshire, the Liverpool City Region, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Cumbria and Scotland.

That’s 786,000 tonnes* every week - most of it transported along the West Coast main line (WCML), the busiest mixed-use (passenger and freight) railway in Europe, and its key spurs, such as the mid-Cheshire lines, Hope Valley line and Clitheroe line.

Paul Watson, operations director for TransPennine Express, said: “Leaves on the line can have a big impact on our services and create difficult conditions for our drivers. We are committed to getting customers from a to b safely and all our trains are fitted with devices that spray sand on to the tracks to provide extra grip. Despite this, sometimes our drivers need to adapt the way they drive and slow down and we’d encourage customers to allow extra time and check before they travel.”

Neil McNicholas, managing director of rail services for Freightliner, said: “The North West route is critical for Freightliner operations.  From our hub at Crewe, 36 daily services from the South East ports serve our terminals in Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow delivering vital goods. Similarly, the Peak District is a key loading location for over 60 aggregate and cement services per week, delivering supplies across the country. This is in addition to the movement of waste and other products across the North of England. These services support the UK economy and, therefore, keeping the network open for business during Autumn is key. We welcome and support the considerable work undertaken by Network Rail to mitigate the performance and safety risks that leaves in Autumn can bring.”

For more information on how we deal with leaves on the line visit www.networkrail.co.uk/leaves