RAIL passengers are expected to face endless delays on the railways - because of 'leaf fall'.

But bosses at Network Rail have a solution - a £4.5 million investment on new 'leaf busting trains' to keep the rail tracks clear from leaf debris.

It comes after rail operators issued a warning to commuters that all services could be delayed by up to 10-15 minutes due to “leaf fall”.

The new trains will have high pressured water jets mounted on their undercarriage which will clear debris and coat the rail in a unique sand-based gel which will allow trains to better grip the tracks, reducing delays and improving safety.

Autumn is traditionally a difficult time for railways across the country, bringing wet weather and leaf fall which creates mulch that sticks to the track and gets compressed and hardened by train wheels into what was described as a 'Teflon-like' layer.

This causes the track to be as slippery as black ice, so train wheels lose grip and in some cases become damaged.

The mulch also causes electrical circuits on the tracks to fail, which causes delays.

On the South Western Mainline, there are 70,0000 mature trees along the route which shed around 210 million leaves over autumn.

Becky Lumlock, route managing director at Network Rail, said: “Leaves and foliage on the line can cause the same conditions as black ice on the roads, and with thousands of mature trees on our route, it’s something we take seriously."

Charles Horton, chief executive of Southern Rail said: "Challenging conditions during the autumn mean train services across the country become vulnerable to poor weather and slippery rails, compromising performance and certainty for passengers.

"We, like other train operators in the UK, are taking steps to reduce the risk of disruption during the period."

Andy Mellors, Managing Director for South Western Railway, added: “We work extremely hard alongside our industry partners at Network Rail to help reduce delays caused by autumn conditions, in particular leaf-fall.

“That’s why we introduced minor adjustments to our timetable during autumn last week to take in to consideration these added seasonal challenges."