Slippery rails

Detecting slippery rails with Real Time Monitoring.

Two months ago, the Netherlands had become a winter wonderland. We finally had the chance to go ice skating again, throw snowballs or build a snowman. Unfortunately, this weather also brings risks: taking a bend on your bike beside an icy canal, or getting to the supermarket without a scratch. And it’s not just you or me who have to deal with slippery conditions. Just as icy, snowy roads can be treacherous for people, rails made slippery by fallen leaves can cause problems for trains in autumn.

Train wheels can slip when conditions are slippery. It doesn’t take a heavy fall of leaves: dew at sunrise or sunset, or deposits from industrial or sea air, can also make rails slippery. Wheelspin as a train pulls away damages the infrastructure. So-called ‘sliding’ during braking damages the wheels and bogies. Train drivers therefore need to accelerate and brake more gently when the rails are slippery.