Leaves on the line? AI signals end to commuters’ train pain

The Department of Transport is funding AI technology in a bid to reduce the impact of leaves on railway lines
The Department of Transport is funding AI technology in a bid to reduce the impact of leaves on railway lines
ALAMY

It has been the bane of commuters’ lives for decades. Now experts are working on a high-tech solution to the most primitive problem affecting Britain’s railways: leaves on the line.

New technology is being introduced that uses artificial intelligence to predict where trees and shrubs risk causing chaos for the rail network. The Department for Transport is funding a trial of the system in an attempt to reduce the number of delays caused.

The technology, developed by Hack Partners in London, uses a simple camera in the train cab that can give a driver’s eye view of any vegetation encroaching onto the line.

The footage is fed into the AI system, which is able to predict where problems will emerge, including trees about to fall,