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October 11, 2021A fleet of ‘leaf-busting’ trains have started blasting leaves off the line to help keep passengers and freight moving across the North West this autumn.
From today (1 October) until 12th December, seven specialist trains will wash leaf debris from a total of 97,000 miles of track across the region while trees are shedding their leaves.
Network Rail’s seasonal delivery depot at Wigan Springs Branch is the North West’s nerve centre for keeping tracks clear between Crewe and Carlisle this autumn.
Six trains known as MPVs (multi-purpose vehicles) will work from Wigan, while another train known as an RHHT (rail head treatment train) will operate from Carlisle Kingmoor depot in Cumbria.
The total miles of track treated over this time will be equivalent to going 3.81 times around the equator.
After railway lines have been cleared with high pressure water jets the machines then apply rails with a sand-like gel to help passenger and freight train wheels grip the tracks.