Dry ice technology to be trialled to clear leaves off UK railway lines

A new dry ice cleaning system will be trialled on a live passenger route in the North East this autumn to help clear leaves off the UK railway lines and cut seasonal disruption.

A train fitted with the Cryogrip technology will operate between Bishop Auckland and North Road in Darlington, running between services in Northern’s timetable but without passengers onboard. Developed by engineers at the University of Sheffield, the system blasts dry ice pellets at supersonic speed to freeze fallen leaves, which are then shattered and vaporised back into gas.

The innovation has already been tested on the heritage Wensleydale Railway, but Northern will now deploy it for the first time on a live service line. If the trial proves successful, operators could fit Cryogrip to passenger trains across the network.

“Revolutionising how we clean the UK’s railways”

Rob Cummings, Northern’s seasonal performance improvement manager, said:

Some 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.

There is a comprehensive plan in place to help our train crews deal with this, which includes forecasting, extensive mapping, railhead treatment trains and sanders.

We are also keen to find out whether the dry ice cleaning equipment is another effective tool which can be used on other parts of our network.”

Every autumn, thousands of tonnes of leaves fall onto the UK’s railways. When compacted by train wheels and rain, they create a thin, slippery layer that reduces traction and forces drivers to accelerate and brake more cautiously. The result is longer journey times, delays and in some cases disruption to the timetable.

Professor Roger Lewis, of the University of Sheffield’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, added:

Our track cleaning system could revolutionise how we clean the UK’s railways, cut delays for passengers and save the industry some of the millions it loses to leaves on the line every year.

The testing with Northern is a vital step towards the system being used more widely on lines across the country.”

If the Cryogrip trial proves successful, the rail industry could gain a powerful new tool in the fight against one of its most stubborn seasonal challenges.