The braking system on over 70 trains in Scotland is being modified in a £7.7m investment to improve their safety and performance during the challenging autumn leaf fall season.

Each autumn, leaves on railway tracks replicate black ice on roads by creating a thin, slippery layer, which can prove problematic during acceleration and braking.

That can lead to longer journey times and sometimes disrupt services.

To help overcome the problem, systems to improve adhesion are being fitted to ScotRail trains, with Double Variable Rate Sanding (DVRS) being fitted to ScotRail’s Class 170s and Single Variable Rate Sanding (SVRS) to its Class 158s.

The system improves grip and reduces stopping distances in slippery conditions by automatically adjusting how much sand is applied between the wheels and the rail according to the train’s speed.

Direct comparison trials carried out between non-DVRS-fitted and DVRS-fitted Class 170s in July near Inverness and in Edinburgh earlier this month showed measurable improvements in braking performance on DVRS-fitted Class 170s under low-adhesion conditions.

Twelve Class 170s and one Class 158 are now having the system fitted to enable ScotRail to monitor the effectiveness of the technology, with a full rollout of DVRS to all ScotRail’s 34 Class 170s and SRVS on 40 of ScotRail’s Class 158s, and is expected to be complete by next summer.

Other methods used to overcome wheel slip problems in the autumn include specialist leaf-busting trains, and a trial by Northern using new ‘supersonic-cryogenic’ Autumn leaf-busting Technology

“This trial is a great example of what we can achieve by working together across the rail industry to solve joint problems. During autumn, there are unique challenges for performance and we always like to try new things to reduce the impact on train services. The data so far from our DVRS system is really encouraging. It s a simple solution that should make a real difference. We are excited to see what the future of managing seasonal issues like leaf fall will look like, and I’m confident that DVRS tech will play a part in that.”

Kristian Peacock, interim head of performance at Network Rail Scotland