A futuristic method of solving the problem of autumn leaves on railway lines is being trialled by Network Rail with space-age technology that uses lasers and plasma jets.

During autumn, leaves on the rails are compressed by train wheels into a black Teflon-like residue ,which makes it harder for trains to brake or accelerate and causes delays to train services.

A fleet of leaf-blasting trains currently uses high-pressure water jets to clear Britain’s 20,000-mile railway network. During the last few weeks, Great Western has been trialling a specially-adapted Land Rover to clear leaves from Devon’s railway lines.

The trials are being carried out throughout October by Network Rail using its multi-purpose vehicles (MPVs) on the East Lancashire Railway to see if autumn treatment trains fitted with laser beams and superheated plasma jets are as effective at cleaning rails as the current method that uses high-pressure water systems.

The companies involved in the testing are:

• Laser Precision Solutions is trialling the ‘LaserTrain’ that uses three high-powered beams on each railhead to treat the rails. When the intensity of the lasers strikes the railhead the contamination instantly vaporises (ablates) without heating up the rail.
• PlasmaTrack is trialling direct current (DC) plasma technology that uses heat and active electrons to split things apart, with a high-energy electrical plasma beam tearing the leaf layer apart as well as heating and burning it off.

If the lasers or plasma trials are successful in cleaning the rails, further development work will be required to see if the technology would work on the live railway network. Further studies would also be required to produce a business case for adopting the new technology.

Suhayb Manzoor, Network Rail project engineer, said: “Leaves on the line are often seen as a joke on the railway but they can cause serious problems and we’re always looking at new ways to tackle this age-old problem.

“It’s also not unique to Britain, with railways all over the world having issues when trees shed their leaves. For that reason, it’s exciting to be putting some of the newest technology out there to the test with the hope that one day it could help Network Rail keep passengers and freight moving safely at this operationally challenging time of year.”

Ben Medendorp, Laser Precision Solutions head of finance and commerce, said: “Normally you really have to move mountains to get access to a railway network, so having a testing site like this which is secluded where you can take measurements every day is essential to gather data.

“I really do think that Network Rail is taking a leadership role in the industry by solving this global issue of low railhead adhesion. We are proving technologies and learning valuable lessons that could help railways around the world.”

Julian Swan, PlasmaTrack chief executive officer, said: “Having three weeks of uninterrupted testing available on an operational railway isn’t usually possible so being able to carry out these trials with Network Rail and East Lancashire Railway have been invaluable.

“We’ve learnt a lot on how the autumn treatment trains (MPVs) currently operate, and how the PlasmaTrack system could benefit train wheel traction and protecting wheel-slide caused by leaves on the line.”

Mike Kelly, East Lancashire Railway chairman, said: “When people think of heritage railways, they probably think they just look at preserving the past, but here at the East Lancashire Railway we want to be a moderniser too.

“We’re very proud to be able to play our part and provide our tracks and infrastructure to allow Network Rail to do their important research and development, and excited to be at the forefront of technology which could make millions of future journeys better for passengers across the country.”

Further information on how Network Rail clears leaves during the autumn can be found https://www.networkrail.co.uk/running-the-railway/looking-after-the-railway/delays-explained/leaves/