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AI could be solution to 'leaves on the track' rail delays

Old museum railway made for steam powered locomotives. Tracks covered with leaves in the autumn.
Leaves on the line could be a problem of the past thanks to new AI technology (GETTY)

Delays resulting from leaves on train lines could become a thing of the past thanks to Artificial Intelligence.

Loose leaves falling onto railway tracks have plagued British commuters reliant on public transport for decades, with the problem thought to be one of the biggest causes of late-running services.

But new AI technology that can predict where trees and shrubbery may risk causing delays is to be introduced - which would help tackle problematic obstructions before they cause delays.

The Department for Transport is funding a trial of the system, developed by London firm Hack Partners.

Day view landscape British train on Railroad.Day view landscape British train on Railroad.
Obstructions on Britain's railways have long plagued commuters reliant on train travel (GETTY)

The system will use a camera in the driver's cab to give a point of view shot of anything encroaching a railway line.

The footage is fed back to an AI system which will predict where problems emerge - such as trees about to fall, branches and trees shedding their leaves - before they cause delays to services.

The system will analyse footage to find trees that have moved, for example in extreme weather.

The technology also uses a fixed boundary system to assess encroaching vegetation, and examines leaf colour to predict if leaves will fall on the tracks.

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Trials of the system will begin on July 1 on a 15-mile stretch of the London overground network for nine months.

If it is successful it will be rolled out to other commuter lines.

Hack Partners founder and CEO River Tamoor Baig said that the system would not lead to a rise in the number of trees being chopped down but would enable more targeted management.

Trains on the tracks and power station in London. Blurred trains leaving and arriving next a busy station. City background with buildings and construction in progress. Travel and transport concepts
The Department for Transport and Innovate UK have ploughed £7.8million into new technology projects aimed at increasing railway efficiency (GETTY)

A report released in 2017 claimed managing trees and shrubs not a high priority for Government-owned Network Rail, which overseas Britain’s railway lines,

In 2017-18 almost 19,000 incidents of falling trees and branches on the line were recorded compared with almost 11,500 in 2009-10.

In 2017 more than 1,750 trains were cancelled because of falling trees. Separate figures show that leaves on the line, caused 3,261 hours of delays in 2017 - a 70 per cent rise from the last decade.

The DfT and government’s technology agency Innovate UK announced on Thursday that up to £7.8 million is being invested in 24 trials of projects to boost performance on the railway.

The information boards at Victoria train station show cancelled or delayed trains due to bad weather in London, Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2013.  A severe winter storm has caused major travel problems in Britain, leading to substantial delays Tuesday at London Gatwick Airport and on roads and rail lines at the height of the Christmas travel period. Gatwick Airport said its North Terminal is having "significant power outages" and advised passengers to check flight status before traveling to the airport. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
Trials of the system will begin on July 1 on the London Overground network for nine months (GETTY)

Simon Edmonds, deputy executive chairman of Innovate UK, said there was “more we can do to boost the reliability of the network”.

He added: “The pioneering projects for which we have announced funding today can increase reliability, to keep services running, with real benefits to freight operators and the environment.”

A spokesman for Network Rail said: “Encroaching vegetation and fallen leaves on the line can lead to significant delays for the millions of passengers who use and rely on the railway every day.

“We work hard to reduce these delays while also making better use of environmental data to improve net biodiversity and contribute to the government’s targets on habitat and woodland creation.”