{"id":290521,"date":"2025-09-24T19:01:54","date_gmt":"2025-09-24T09:01:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/railuk.com\/?p=183048"},"modified":"2025-09-24T19:01:54","modified_gmt":"2025-09-24T09:01:54","slug":"northern-trials-frozen-leaf-tech-to-keep-trains-moving","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=290521","title":{"rendered":"Northern trials frozen-leaf tech to keep trains moving"},"content":{"rendered":"

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A train fitted with cryogenic cleaning equipment, known as Cryogrip, will run between Bishop Auckland and North Road station in Darlington to help clear the line and minimise disruption.<\/p>\n

The train, which will not be carrying passengers, is due to run along the line between services in Northern’s timetable.<\/p>\n

Developed by engineers from the University of Sheffield, it works by firing dry ice pellets at the railhead, in a stream of air at supersonic speed.<\/p>\n

Any leaves on the line are frozen and then blasted away as the dry ice pellets turn back into a gas.<\/p>\n

The technology has previously been tested on the Wensleydale Railway \u2013 a heritage railway line run by volunteers in Yorkshire \u2013 but this is the first time it will be tested on a line used by Northern services.<\/p>\n

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If the trial is successful, Cryogrip may be used on trains carrying passengers in the future.<\/p>\n

Rob Cummings, Northern\u2019s seasonal performance improvement manager, said: \u201cSome people like to make jokes about wet leaves on the line. But when you have steel wheels running on a steel rail, any slippery substance that affects the grip is a big problem.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a comprehensive plan in place to help our train crews deal with this, which includes forecasting, extensive mapping, railhead treatment trains and sanders.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are also keen to find out whether the cryogenic cleaning equipment is another effective tool which can be used on other parts of our network.”<\/p>\n

Roger Lewis, professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Sheffield, said: \u201cOur track cleaning system could revolutionise how we clean the UK\u2019s railways, cut delays for passengers and save the industry some of the millions it loses to leaves on the line every year.<\/p>\n

“The testing with Northern is a vital step towards the system being used more widely on lines across the country.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thousands of tonnes of leaves fall every autumn and they are dropping earlier this year, following the warmest summer on record.<\/p>\n

When they are compressed in wet weather, they form a thin, slippery layer on the rail which can cause trains to slide.<\/p>\n

Drivers must pull away more slowly and brake earlier for stations and signals to make sure they stop in time. This can lead to longer journey times and delays.<\/p>\n

Northern has mapped out the routes which are usually covered with leaves when the weather turns, like the line which links Horsforth and Harrogate, and makes sure drivers receive the latest guidance and regular weather forecasts so they can navigate the difficult conditions.<\/p>\n

The operator works closely with Network Rail, which runs railhead treatment trains along the lines six days a week. They blast leaf mulch off the tracks and apply a gel \u2013 containing a mix of sand and steel grains \u2013 to help services run smoothly.<\/p>\n

Image credit: Northern<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>A train fitted with cryogenic cleaning equipment, known as Cryogrip, will run between Bishop Auckland and North Road station in Darlington to help clear the line and minimise disruption. The train, which will not be carrying passengers, is due to run along the line between services in Northern\u2019s timetable. Developed by engineers from the University [\u2026]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16015,47,180,43,48,16016,85],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-290521","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-permanent-way","category-rail-news","category-rolling-stock","category-safety","category-technology","category-train-operating-companies","category-uk"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/290521","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=290521"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/290521\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":290522,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/290521\/revisions\/290522"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=290521"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=290521"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=290521"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}