Leaves are browning, autumn is around the corner and Network Rail is gearing up for its annual multi-million-pound battle against Mother Nature and ‘leaves on the line’, aiming to keep millions of passengers and trains safe and moving over the next three months.
Network Rail has invested over £100m to tackle ‘leaves on the line’ – the annual scourge for Britain’s railways, and railways across the world - as damp, compressed leaves become the railway equivalent of black-ice on the road leading to slow running, delays and disruption.
Entering the fray is a new hero this season, revealed just this morning; ‘Ctrl Alt Deleaf’! This leaf-kicking train - named by the public in a nationwide vote - is all set to roll out for the first time next week from a depot at Effingham Junction, Surrey, where it’s been showing off its flashy new autumn-themed look. Its mission, along with an entire fleet of similar leaf-busters, is to blast leaf-mulch off the rails – treating some 1.12 million miles over the autumn - to keep them clean and keep journeys running smoothly across the country.
Lisa Angus Network Rail’s industry weather response director said: “Our leaf-busting trains are the unsung heroes of the British autumn travelling the length and breadth of the country to keep the railway running.
“The scale of the operation involved in keeping passengers moving through the autumn is monumental: Ctrl Alt Deleaf, and our fleet of leaf-busters trains, will cover over a million miles, as well as deploying fast-reaction teams and using more technology (such as drones) than ever before. Our teams will be working non-stop to try and keep the tracks leaf-free this the autumn so that passenger and freight services can continue running safely and reliably.”
‘Ctrl Alt Deleaf’ beat thousands of other contenders in the nationwide vote and saw-off other worthy contenders like ‘Leaf-Fall Weapon’, ‘Pulp Friction’, and ‘The Autumn Avenger’, to grab the top spot with half the votes.
Wrapped in new eye-catching autumnal artwork, ‘Ctrl Alt Deleaf’ was officially unveiled at the Surrey depot this morning, ahead of its official launch onto Britain’s rail network next week. The train will play an essential role in clearing leaves and keeping passengers moving this autumn.
The name reveal follows a public competition in which more than 1,300 individual name nominations were submitted before being whittled down to a shortlist of four by a judging panel of railway historian, author and presenter Tim Dunn, the minister for rail, Lord Peter Hendy, and Network Rail’s industry weather response director, Lisa Angus and then put to a public vote.
‘Ctrl Alt Deleaf’ triumphed after bagging 50% of all votes cast; well clear of ‘Leaf-Fall Weapon’ in second with 23%, ‘Pulp Friction’ in third with 14% and The Autumn Avenger in fourth with 13%.
Tim Dunn said: ‘It was fantastic to see so many members of the public get involved with naming a leaf-busting train. Thank you to everyone who took the time to submit a name and vote for a winner! The leaf-busting trains are a vital tool in Network Rail’s operation to tackle the impact of leaf fall on the railways. I'm delighted that the public has been able to honour these marvellous machines with such a fantastic name.
Image credits: Network Rail
