Fallen leaves can cause significant disruption to the network as they stick to damp rails and are then compressed by passing trains into a smooth, slippery layer, which reduces a train's grip. This can cause delays to services, which leads to disruption for passengers as well as affecting safety as braking is compromised.
Developed with the University of Sheffield, the cleaning system works by firing dry ice pellets in a stream of air at supersonic speed at the railhead – freezing any leaves on the line. The frozen leaves are then blasted away as the dry ice pellets turn back into a gas.
At the moment, railway lines are cleaned using expensive-to-run railhead treatment trains but there are only a limited number of these trains available, so they can’t treat the whole of the network.
The new rail head treatment technology cuts costs because it is attached to passenger trains and the researchers estimate that it could save the rail industry millions...