Network Rail unveils Ctrl Alt Deleaf in £100m autumn leaf-clearing campaign

Network Rail has unveiled a new leaf-busting train, Ctrl Alt Deleaf, as part of its £100 million autumn campaign to keep Britain’s railways safe and reliable. The train, revealed at Effingham Junction depot in Surrey last week, is set to start running imminently.

Each autumn, around 500 billion leaves fall onto Britain’s 20,000 miles of railway. When compressed onto the tracks, they form a mulch that can cause trains to slip, signalling issues, and widespread disruption. Network Rail says the impact is the railway equivalent of black ice on the roads, with thousands of hours of delays recorded last year alone.

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.”

The public chose the name Ctrl Alt Deleaf for the Network Rail train in a nationwide competition that attracted more than 1,300 nominations. A judging panel of railway historian and broadcaster Tim Dunn, the Minister for Rail Lord Peter Hendy, and Lisa Angus shortlisted four contenders before opening a public vote.

Ctrl Alt Deleaf triumphed with 50% of the vote, beating Leaf-Fall Weapon into second place with 23%, followed by Pulp Friction (14%) and The Autumn Avenger (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.”

Wrapped in new autumn-themed artwork, Ctrl Alt Deleaf will travel the country alongside dozens of similar specialist trains. Together they will cover 1.12 million miles – almost 45 times around the planet – blasting tracks with high-pressure water jets and applying adhesion-modifying gel to keep services moving.

Network Rail will also deploy drones, AI and rapid-response teams to monitor hotspots and act quickly. With half a million tonnes of leaves falling on the railway each year, the company says its autumn strategy is essential to maintaining safe and reliable journeys for both passengers and freight.