If you thought the polar vessel Boaty McBoatface was iconic, you haven’t met the latest star of the railways.

When the Arctic exploration vessel RSS Sir David Attenborough was almost named Boaty McBoatface in 2018, it broke the internet like Ibiza final boss did this summer.

Hundreds of train enthusiasts put forward name options for a leaf-busting train, which battles every commuter’s worst nightmare – leaves on tracks.

The British public was asked to name one of the giant machines keeping the UK railways clear of leaf mess – and the public answered, with names like ‘Pulp Friction,’ ‘Leaf-Fall Weapon’ and the ‘Autumn Avenger’ nearly making the cut.

But one suggestion beat the more dad-joke-esque options – ‘Ctrl Alt Deleaf.’

Ctrl Alt Deleaf train will launch into action from the Network Rail Surrey depot next week, wrapped in an autumn-themed branding.

The shortlist of four names was picked from around 1,300 nominations by railway historian and TV presenter Tim Dunn, the rail minister Lord Hendy and Network Rail’s weather response boss Lisa Angus, and the public voted for their favourites.

Dunn, who presents the Secrets of the London Underground, said: ‘It was fantastic to see so many members of the public get involved with naming a leaf-busting train. Thank you to everyone who took the time to submit a name and vote for a winner!  The leaf-busting trains are a vital tool in Network Rail’s operation to tackle the impact of leaf fall on the railways.’

Lisa Angus, Network Rail’s industry weather response director, said: ‘Our leaf-busting trains are the unsung heroes of the British autumn travelling the length and breadth of the country to keep the railway running.

‘The scale of the operation involved in keeping passengers moving through the autumn is monumental: Ctrl Alt Deleaf, and our fleet of leaf-busters trains, will cover over a million miles, as well as deploying fast-reaction teams and using more technology (such as drones) than ever before. 

‘Our teams will be working non-stop to try and keep the tracks leaf-free this the autumn so that passenger and freight services can continue running safely and reliably.’

One of the many quirks on UK railways – besides pesky delays – is the annual leaf fall timetable, which most operators roll in from autumn until December when trees shed thousands of tonnes of leaves on tracks, creating a slippery pulp and causing delays and disruption.

The army of specialist cleaning trains is part of Network Rail’s £100 million ‘battle against Mother Nature’ to clear the tracks of the sticky layer, which is the railway equivalent of black ice on roads.

The leaf-busting fleet treats around 1.12 million miles of tracks every autumn.

In areas with heavy leaf fall, the special leaf-fall timetable allows extra time for drivers to go slower than usual due to safety, as the leaf mulch can make braking and acceleration less effective.

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Even tickets using a QR code could soon be out of date.

Even tickets using a QR code could soon be out of date.

The first Crossrail, now known as the Elizabeth line, became a reality, while Crossrail 2 is still on hold more than a decade after it was proposed (Picture: PA)

Londoners are holding onto hope that the Crossrail 2 train project could stil…

Fares on England’s railways increased by 4.6% this year.

On Sunday, c2c became the latest train operating company to be publicly owned as part of Labour’s scheme.

Passengers stuck on the train asked the rail company to open the doors as temperatures rose following the collision.

Passengers stuck on the train asked the rail company to open the doors as temperatures rose following the collision.

We need cheaper fares now.

Calling all commuters: hear us out.

‘It means so much for us and the community to be able to run trains to the pier head, connected with the ferries to the mainland.’

A handy loophole for commuters.

And crucially, it bypasses London.

There’s even a UNESCO World Heritage Site along the way.

It comes with a catch, though.

The size of a controversial tower block been reduced as part of the revised plan.

Railway lines to and from Euston are closed over the bank holiday.

Footage shows the moment people came just inches from being flattened by 70mph trains in a seaside town.

A popular foot crossing has closed in Ferring, West Sussex, after several close-calls and ‘misuse’ incidents.

CCTV at the railway crossing near Goring-by-Sea shows how people came close to being killed by fast-moving trains – or could have been electrocuted.

A young person appeared to be urinating on a stretch of the track where trains travel at up to 70mph, Network Rail said.

In another clip, a man holding a shopping bag and his dog on a lead saunters to the tracks.

The dog appears reluctant to cross and tries to pull its owner back to safety.

As the man is yanking the leash, he turns over his shoulder to see the approaching passenger train.

The pair manage to leap to safety, but the train passes him just inches away.

In another hair-raising clip, a cyclist appears to wait right between the tracks as a train approaches.

He stands there casually and only walks away when the train is seconds away.

Stuart Tautz, an operations risk advisor for Network Rail, said that ‘level crossings just aren’t safe places to play or mess around on,’ adding that they have spoken to local schools about the dangers.

‘The risk of being electrocuted is much greater than you may think, and so we’re urgently getting the message out to children and their parents that there is a risk to life,’ he said.

The rails have a live ‘third’ rail, which powers trains and is always on, having ‘enough electricity to kill,’ Network Rail warned.

Now the Clappers Lane crossing has been temporarily closed after the near-misses showing people walking on the tracks or playing there, which have been reported to the police.

In January alone, there were four incidents at the site when trains passed people by mere seconds. There have been 22 incidents since 2019.

Safety measures like extra signage and cameras were installed along with education events.

But, Network Rail said a series of incidents forced it to shut the crossing until it can install ‘further measures to improve the safety of the crossing and deter further incidents of misuse.’

The closure comes after Network Rail launched a grisly safety campaign about the dangers of the electric rail and what it will do to the body.

The high-voltage third electric rail can cause catastrophic and life-changing injuries, with the campaign showing a burned shoe and a charred foot that was recreated to demonstrated what happens to human flesh when it is hit by 750 volts.

A new survey found that 59% of Britons don’t know what the ‘third’ rail is and 38% of people think electrocution from rail tracks doesn’t cause serious injury.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

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