Project description
Vaporising leaves from train tracks
One of the most common hazards for trains is leaves. Leaves cause the tracks to become slippery. Trains can slide along the rails when trying to brake effectively. According to the United Kingdom's NetworkRail, which owns and operates the railway infrastructure in England, Wales and Scotland, there are 10 million trees on and next to the railway network in Britain and, every autumn, thousands of tonnes of leaves fall onto the tracks. The EU-funded LT project has a solution. It is developing the Laser Train. It will use high-powered laser pulses to vaporise the slippery contamination. The Laser Train, a separate wagon that can be pulled by locomotives, will not heat up or damage the track.
Fields of science
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
SME-1 - SME instrument phase 1Coordinator
1013 BD Amsterdam
Netherlands
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