NationStates

BBC wrote:Rail line leaf delays 'slashed'

The number of severe train delays due to leaves on the line has been "slashed", according to Network Rail.

In 2003, UK commuters were delayed for a total of 3,000 minutes due to leaves, but chopping overhanging branches and modern trains have reduced the problem.

Last month 93.6% of trains rain on time, according to Network Rail. It said: "Our action has slashed delays."

However, some train operators implement leaf fall timetables, allowing for slower journeys as a safety precaution.

While Network Rail stopped short of saying leaf-related delays were a thing of the past altogether, a spokesman said a "slight performance dip" in the autumn was "nothing compared with before".

Chiltern Railways and National Express are among a number of train operators to use a leaf fall timetable.

Similarly, First Capital Connect trains has announced that it is "extending morning journey times by a few minutes" in order to "deliver a more consistent service through the autumn".

The operator, whose trains run between London, Brighton, Bedford, Peterborough, Cambridge and King's Lynn, said certain morning peak trains will leave earlier "during the leaf fall period".

Explaining its decision, the train operator stated on its website: "Fallen leaves land on the rail surface and are crushed by the train wheels to form a thin, but extremely slippery coating on the rail; rather like black ice on the roads.

"Whilst this is not dangerous, it reduces the rate at which trains can speed up and slow down; this in turn extends journey times."

According to Network Rail, thousands of tonnes of leaves fall on to railway lines each year.

It says there are are 21,000 miles of track to keep clear and the cost of pruning and felling trees is between £20,000 and £50,000 per mile.

But it said its policy of managing vegetation by tracks means the issue of fallen leaves is no longer a news story.

A Network Rail spokesman said: "Passengers generally don't notice a difference in performance in autumn.

'Geographical' variation

"Passengers want a reliable service all year round and that is generally what they are getting."

Hassard Stacpoole, a spokesman for the Association of Train Operating Companies (Atoc), said a number of its members "have a special timetable in place on some routes that may be affected".

He said such measures are taken on a "geographical" basis and "depend on the nature of the railway" being operated.

Mr Stacpoole stressed that leaves on the line are no longer the serious problem they once were for a number of reasons.

The Atoc spokesman said Network Rail has, in recent years, applied a policy of cutting down trees that hang over tracks wherever possible.

This policy has been coupled with the rolling out of modern fleets of trains.

And an adhesive substance called Sandite is applied, using dedicated trains, to combat the slipperiness of leaves.

In the past, leaf-related delays highlighted inefficiencies in the UK's rolling stock and railway infrastructure - especially when contrasted with high speed rail routes in Europe.

Muravyets wrote:The trains on the line I use most are typically delayed due to running over track workers, more than leaves.

Port Arcana wrote:Why not just put a giant wind turbine or reverse vacuum thingie in the front of the train so it acts like a giant mobile leaf blower?

Muravyets wrote:EDIT: Also, the sculptor Andy Goldworthy, who builds temporary installations out of natural materials in situ, once suspended leaves from strings from the branches of their trees to the ground, creating a "frozen" still shot of leaves in their fall. Perhaps the UK rail lines should try that -- tethering the leaves to the trees to keep them off the tracks.

Port Arcana wrote:Why not just put a giant wind turbine or reverse vacuum thingie in the front of the train so it acts like a giant mobile leaf blower?