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Leaves on the line promise to be a thing of the past for many commuters as new technologies disrupting rail services are introduced by a major rail operator.
Northern, which runs about 2,000 daily services, is installing a system to deal with slippery tracks by spraying water on its 16 passenger trains.
The water-track technology will be used on trains running between Leeds, Harrogate and York, as well as trains between Sheffield, Doncaster, Hull and Scarborough.
Leaves become a widespread problem every autumn when they stick to wet rails and are crushed by train wheels.
It creates a smooth, slippery layer similar to black ice on tracks, reducing the grip of trains.
As of 2011 Speed limits are imposed in an attempt to reduce accidents. Collision between two trains Outside a cave near Salisbury, Wiltshire On October 31 last year, 13 passengers and one driver required hospital treatment.
A South Western Railway train skidded on crushed leaves, passed a stop sign and smashed into the side of the Great Western Railway service.
Rail tracks are traditionally cleaned using rail treatment trains (RHTT) using high-pressure water jets using a gel containing sand and steel grains.
But these are expensive to run so they are generally limited to busy main lines, leaving other roads untreated.
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November 2021: Salisbury train disaster situation
Trains stop safely in heavy rain, so the WaterTrac creates these conditions by distributing a small amount of water when slippery rails are found.
This improves braking performance at a lower cost than using RHTTs.
The trial of the technology has been running on the two passenger trains in the northern part of 319 trains since October last year.
Rob Cummings, the operator’s seasonal update manager, said rolling out the system to more trains was “the next step in finding a solution to the difficult autumn conditions”.
He added: “One of the biggest risks to our performance in October and November is the online leaves, but we aim to provide the best service to our passengers by developing new innovative technology.”
John Cook, founder of Watertrack, said: “They can be seen as a bit of a joke or an excuse for poor performance. But it’s really a big deal for the rail industry,” he said.
Around 10 million trees on Britain’s railways throw thousands of tonnes of leaves onto the tracks every autumn, costing the sector an estimated £345m.
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