Laser jets used to clear leaves from railway lines

Engineers are testing whether lasers and beams can be as effective as water jets in cleaning the rails

Trains fitted with plasma jets and lasers are being trialled to clear leaves from railways more sustainably.

The technology is being tested on the East Lancashire Railway to see if it is as effective as high pressure water jets, Network Rail said.

The current fleet uses 200 million litres of water in autumn.

Network Rail said leaves could cause "serious problems" when compressed, making it harder for trains to brake or accelerate.

It said leaves were compressed by moving trains into a thin, black residue, which can also make it harder for signallers to detect a train's location.

The two companies involved in the testing are Laser Precision Solutions and PlasmaTrack.

The multi-purpose vehicles fitted with lasers are being tested throughout October

The lasers treat the rails by vaporising contamination and the plasma beam tears apart the leaf layer as well as heating and burning it off.

The technology could potentially reduce the need for water and the fuel needed to transport it around the 20,000-mile railway network.

Project engineer Suhayb Manzoor 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."

Leaves are the railways equivalent of black ice on the roads, Network Rail said

He added: "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."

East Lancashire Railway chairman Mike Kelly said the heritage railway was "very proud" to provide the tracks and infrastructure to carry out the trial.

"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."

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