To help combat fallen leaves on the line, Northern is trialling a train fitted with cryogenic cleaning equipment known as Cryogrip.

The train, which will not carry any passengers, will be running between Bishop Auckland and North Road station in Darlington between scheduled services to help clear the line.

The Cryogrip train works by firing dry ice pellets at the railhead in a stream of air at supersonic speed, and was developed by engineers from the University of Sheffield.

Once the leaves are frozen, they are then moved away from the line as the pellets return to gas form.

While the technology has been tested already on the Wensleydale Railway, this marks the first time it will be tested on the main line used by northern services.

Should the trial be successful, Northern plans to use it on trains which carry passengers in the future.

 “Some people like to make jokes about wet leaves on the line. But when you have steel wheels running on a steel rail, any slippery substance that affects the grip is a big problem.

“There is a comprehensive plan in place to help our train crews deal with this, which includes forecasting, extensive mapping, railhead treatment trains and sanders.

“We are also keen to find out whether the cryogenic cleaning equipment is another effective tool which can be used on other parts of our network.”

Rob Cummings, Northern’s seasonal performance improvement manager