Train named Ctrl Alt Deleaf to tackle leaves on the line

A leaf-removal train has been named Ctrl Alt Deleaf after a public vote.

Network Rail said the train is part of its fleet of “leaf-busters” which blast leaf mulch off rails.

Britain’s railway network stretches for 20,000 miles and has to cope with about 500 billion leaves each year.

Ctrl Alt Deleaf – which is a pun on the computer keyboard command Control-Alt-Delete – will be deployed from a depot at Effingham Junction, Surrey, next week.

Leaves cause major disruption every autumn when they stick to damp rails and become compressed by train wheels.

This creates a thick, slippery layer similar to black ice on roads, which can reduce trains’ grip and result in signallers being unable to detect when a train has entered a new section of track.

Speed restrictions are imposed in an attempt to reduce accidents such as the crash between two trains outside a tunnel near Salisbury, Wiltshire in October 2021 which left 13 passengers and one driver requiring hospital treatment.

Lisa Angus, Network Rail’s industry weather response director, said: “Our leaf-busting trains are the unsung heroes of the British autumn, travelling the length and breadth of the country to keep the railway running.

“The scale of the operation involved in keeping passengers moving through the autumn is monumental: Ctrl Alt Deleaf and our fleet of leaf-busters trains will cover over a million miles, as well as deploying fast-reaction teams and using more technology than ever before.

“Our teams will be working non-stop to try and keep the tracks leaf-free this autumn so that passenger and freight services can continue running safely and reliably.”

Other shortlisted entries for the train’s name were Leaf-Fall Weapon, Pulp Friction and The Autumn Avenger.

Railway historian and television presenter Tim Dunn, who was on the judging panel which created the shortlist from more than 1,300 name nominations, said: “It was fantastic to see so many members of the public get involved with naming a leaf-busting train.

“Thank you to everyone who took the time to submit a name and vote for a winner.

“The leaf-busting trains are a vital tool in Network Rail’s operation to tackle the impact of leaf fall on the railways.

“I’m delighted that the public has been able to honour these marvellous machines with such a fantastic name.”