Leaves On The Railway Line

When leaves fall onto wet rails, passing trains compress them into a slippery, greasy coating known as leaf mulch. This dramatically reduces the grip between the wheel and rail — much like driving a car on ice.

Low rail adhesion can cause:

  • Wheel slip and slide
  • Longer stopping distances
  • Platform overruns
  • Track circuit failures
  • Delays and cancellations

To maintain safety, drivers may need to reduce speed and brake earlier in areas affected by low rail adhesion. These measures can increase journey times but are essential to maintaining safe train operations.

The LRA season generally runs from late September to early December, with weather and leaf fall determining how long conditions persist each year.

For the latest service information and LRA updates, follow Iarnród Éireann on X (Twitter) and check our Autumn Leafometer to see how leaf fall is progressing.

100% Leafometer for LRA season

How we tackle low rail adhesion

Iarnród Éireann takes a proactive, multi-layered approach to managing Low Rail Adhesion (LRA), protecting safety while minimising delays and disruption.

  • LRA Timetable: A dedicated timetable will operate from 21st September to 12th December, adding additional run time to services where needed, particularly around the Dublin peak periods. This allows trains to operate more safely in low-adhesion conditions and helps minimise delays and improve punctuality.
  • Vegetation Management: Trees and vegetation are proactively managed to reduce leaf fall and other risks, while complying with environmental and biodiversity requirements. Significant investment is made each year in vegetation management and tree felling with drone technology helping identify at-risk trees.
  • Specialised Water-Jetting Machine: Our Multi-Purpose Vehicle (MPV) uses high-pressure water jets to clean contamination from the railhead to improve wheel-to-rail grip.
  • Traction Gel Applicators (TGAs): 131 solar-powered TGAs are positioned at known LRA hotspots across the network, providing automatic treatment as trains pass.
  • Targeted Treatments: Specialist railhead treatments, including biodegradable cleaning products, are applied at known problem locations to improve traction.  These treatments allow rapid intervention at known problem locations.
  • On-Board Sanding: All passenger trains are fitted with sanding systems that automatically apply sand when wheel slip is detected. Drivers can also apply sand manually when required.
  • Data & Risk Forecasting: LRA conditions, weather, leaf fall and operational impacts are continuously monitored. A five-day LRA risk forecast identifies low, moderate, high and severe risk periods, allowing teams to prepare before conditions deteriorate.
  • People & Driver Awareness: Our engineering, fleet and operations teams work together throughout the season to manage LRA.  Drivers receive seasonal briefings and use defensive driving techniques, including earlier braking and reduced speeds. 
  • Continuous Improvement: We continue to work with the wider rail industry to share experience and improve how LRA is managed.

Thank you for your patience while we manage the challenges of autumn.


Michael Danaher our Infrastructure Manager in the East Region tells us more:

▶

See how BBC's Bang Goes The Theory demonstrated the effect:

▶
Top