"Dry ice is being blasted onto railway lines across northern England in a trial aimed at removing leaves - PA
Trains delayed by debris on the track could become a thing of the past after British engineers pioneered a new removal technique using dry ice.
The device from the University of Sheffield involves shooting pellets of dry ice from a passenger train into a stream of air onto rails, freezing leaves and turning them brittle.
The dry ice then quickly turns back into gas, causing it to expand and destroy the leaves.
Thousands of tonnes of leaves fall onto tracks every year and cost railway services an estimated £345 million a year.
Northern Rail is due to trial the method on one of their passenger trains in the coming weeks and will be rolled out nationwide by 2024.
Engineers claim the innovative device is significantly more efficient than conventional methods which use high-pressure water jets fired from specialised cleaning trains before deploying a gel containing sand and steel grains to help the train brake.
Additionally, the dry ice method does not leave a residue which can damage rails and train wheels, and can be used on the same stretch of railway more than once a day.
Professor Roger Lewis, who is leading the project, said: "This technology will make a step change in train performance during autumn, improving safety.
"It will provide more predictable braking and traction than current technology, and will help to improve train performance, reduce delays, increase passenger satisfaction and support the use of new technologies to enable greater network utilisation of the UK's railways.
"It will be great for passengers, but also for all the train operators and Network Rail as well. It will make their lives much easier."
When trains pass over the leaves it creates a slippery layer, comparable to black ice on roads.
This leads to delays as trains must run at a reduced speed, accelerate slower and brake earlier.
Rob Cummings, seasonal improvement manager at Northern commented: "We're very excited to test this new technology during the autumn period.
"One of the biggest risks to our performance during October and November is leaves on the line, but by helping to develop new technology we aim to deliver the very best service for our passengers."
Researchers had carried out earlier trials in 2019 using the dry-ice method for trains at Stocksbridge, South Yorkshire, and Sutton Park, West Midlands, Blackpool, West Highlands and Swansea."
