‘Leaf it to me’: Meet the man who makes sure Northern is ready to face the ‘big problem’ of fallen leaves on the line

In his 10^th autumn with Northern, seasonal performance improvement manager Rob Cummings is working hard to minimise disruption for customers and ensure they can reach their destinations safely. 

“Leaves on the line is a serious safety and performance issue for the railway,” he said. “You have a steel wheel on a steel rail and anything that causes low adhesion can be a big problem.” 

Known as the black ice of the railways, the leaves are compressed in wet weather and they form a thin, slippery layer on the rail which can cause trains to slide.

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.

Northern spent nine months preparing for this autumn and completed the roll-out of additional equipment on its fleet of trains in July.

“We conduct a review in January with Network Rail and begin planning for the following autumn,” said Mr Cummings. 

“Winter and summer are a bit unpredictable in the UK but you know that for two months of the year – in October and November – autumn will bring fallen leaves.

“There have been some improvements over the years and we’ve got better at dealing with fallen leaves, especially since we introduced our new fleet of trains with modern technology that helps reduce the impact of low adhesion.

“But I’ve not been in this position before where we have new equipment and technology that can be used across the network.

“This is the first season we are using Double Variable Rate Sanders and Water-Trak equipment across some of our fleet. I think we will see a big benefit once the drivers are confident using it.”

Mr Cummings has mapped out the routes which are usually covered with leaves when the weather turns, like the line which links Horsforth and Harrogate, and he makes sure drivers receive the latest guidance and regular weather forecasts so they can navigate the difficult conditions.

Northern works closely with Network Rail, which runs railhead treatment trains along the lines six days a week to blast leaf mulch off the tracks and apply a gel – containing a mix of sand and steel grains – to help services run smoothly.

The train operator has also fitted its trains with the latest technology to minimise disruption.

This includes the Water-Trak equipment, which blasts water onto the track, Double Variable Rate Sanders, which deploy high quantities of sand, and Wheel Slide Prevention technology that prevents wheels from locking when the train is moving.

Northern is the second largest train operator in the UK, with 2,500 services a day to more than 500 stations across the North of England.