no more leaves on the lines!

[Michael Rolls]

A fleet of specialist trains are to help keep trains running in the south east of England throughout the autumn

Network Rail said a hard slippery layer of compressed leaves on the tracks was the "railway equivalent of black ice"

The fleet is expected to travel 318,000 miles of track, the equivalent of 12 times around the Earth

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cmlrnw8ywzjo

[dextrous63]

There is about 20,000 miles of track in the UK.  This suggests that on average the fleet will go over each track 16 times.

[Diasi]

Here's an idea.

How about removing trees that overhang the lines that are the ones most affected.

[dextrous63]

Trouble with doing that is that there's a possibility that the roots are holding the embankments in place.

[Diasi]

Trouble with doing that is that there's a possibility that the roots are holding the embankments in place.

Well the embankments would need to be reinforced if the original engineers were stupid enough to rely on tree roots for support in the first place.

[Scrumpy]

We can't keep chopping trees down because they affect our way of life. 
The little school near me removed the beautiful blossom trees because the children might slip on the falling blossoms.. 

[dextrous63]

Well the embankments would need to be reinforced if the original engineers were stupid enough to rely on tree roots for support in the first place.

If they've lasted for all this time without a problem and done their jobs, I can't really see why the engineers were wrong to have used them (apart from the unforeseen problem with leaves on the lines which seems to be a relatively recent issue?)

[klondike]

Those trees weren't even saplings when the tracks were laid. I'd be wary of interfering with them though in case of unforeseen problems.

[Alex]

Why only south east Englànd ?

[Michael Rolls]

money?

[Diasi]

If they've lasted for all this time without a problem and done their jobs, I can't really see why the engineers were wrong to have used them (apart from the unforeseen problem with leaves on the lines which seems to be a relatively recent issue?)

That may well be the case, but I always approach my fault finding & rectification from the point of what needs to be done now & not how well things worked in the past.

The most effective way of dealing with leaves on the lines is to stop them getting onto the lines.

[Alex]

money?

But there's money for the south ?    Of course there is.

[klondike]

Plus it's nobody of any importance getting delayed up there in the boondocks.

[dextrous63]

That may well be the case, but I always approach my fault finding & rectification from the point of what needs to be done now & not how well things worked in the past.

The most effective way of dealing with leaves on the lines is to stop them getting onto the lines.

It is true that stopping the leaves getting on the lines would be the most effective way.  However, the root structure and trees themselves are an integral part of any embankments (and were always designed to be).  Removing them may well cause a load of problems.  

[JBR]

Why only south east Englànd ?

Surely you wouldn't expect them to spend money unnecessarily on the North.