Specialist trains are being used to blast leaves off railway tracks and keep Lichfield passengers moving.
Network rail is employing four of the vehicles on the West Coast Main Line and Chiltern Main Line in the Midlands.
The trains are expected to cover 25,000 miles this autumn in a bid to tackle the problem of leaves on the line.
They use power jets of water to blast squashed leaves off tracks.
Martin Colmey, current operations manager for Network Rail’s London North Western route, said: “Leaves on the line is no joke. If we didn’t work to remove them, their impact on train passengers wouldn’t be funny either.
“They have the same impact on the railway as black ice does on roads, making it impossible to drive a train normally.
“Our leaf-busting trains will cover more than 25,000 thousand miles this autumn – vital to help keep customers and freight safely and swiftly on the move.”
