Loughborough university to solve black ice and leaves on the line rail delays

By ITV News Central Trainee Barnaby Papadopulos

Researchers at Loughborough and Sheffield universities are developing new technology which aims to instantly detect hazards on railway lines.

Leaves, rain, and other hazards cause conditions akin to black ice on railway lines, increasing the danger of trains sliding when brakes are applied by drivers.

The danger caused by such "low adhesion hazards" can cause trains to stop running at the last minute, costing the rail industry around £335m every autumn.

"This is a real problem for the industry," a spokesperson for the Rail Safety and Standards Board told ITV Central.

"Timetables get changed during leaf fall season" they said, before adding: "Trains have to travel slower, and the drivers have to change their driving technique, braking earlier."

"All this affects people’s journeys."

According to Loughborough’s Dr Chris Ward, who is leading the initiative, when sliding does occur "red signals can be passed, station stops missed, and collisions can occur."

"We don’t know with confidence that these conditions have occurred. There is no real-time measurement at present," he said.

But working in partnership with engineering firm Perpetuum, Dr Ward and other engineers are creating new sensors that can be placed near train wheels to pick up how they are responding to changing track conditions. 

That information will feed through to a central computer system, providing rail operators with a map showing where potential hazards are emerging in real time.

Dr Ward said the new technology "will allow a much more accurate picture of where hazards lie on the UK’s huge network of track."

This, he said, "will mean a quicker response… and as a result a safer network with fewer delays.

Testing of the new software will first be carried out in Tuxford, Nottinghamshire, at Network Rail’s innovation and development centre this summer.

Elaine Cockroft, Project Manager for Network Rail, said: "We’re really happy to be working with both Loughborough and Sheffield universities on this exciting project.

"We work really hard to clear leaves from the line, however this issue does still cause delays and disruption for passengers.

"This project has the potential to transform how we tackle this issue and help us to provide a more reliable railway for all passengers."