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Laser-equipped trains on tracks, which silently circulate through the Netherlands and Long Island, fire 2-kilowatt Nd:YAG cannons. They pulse 25,000 times per second. Each beam vaporizes dry leaves stuck to the steel at 5,000 °C, according to a report by IEEE Spectrum.
The report details equipment from Nederlandse Spoorwegen in a DM-90 fleet. The technology was created by the British company LaserThor in November 1999. Despite this, it was rejected by Network Rail itself in 2002.
Today, it operates commercially in the Netherlands. According to IEEE Spectrum data, it has also been active on New York’s Long Island Rail Road since 2018. Each pass cleans a strip of only 20 millimeters of the track.
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Still, the speed can reach 80 km/h in modern equipment. The beam vaporizes any organic matter stuck to the track in fractions of a second. All this happens without physical contact and without chemicals.
How laser-equipped trains on tracks work
The laser operates at a wavelength of 1,064 nanometers. This value is characteristic of neodymium-doped yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Nd:YAG) crystals. Each pulse lasts microseconds.
However, the extremely high frequency of 25,000 shots per second generates enough energy to superheat the biomass. As a result, the leaf turns into gas and inert ash. According to IEEE Spectrum, the local temperature reaches 5,000 °C.
This value is close to that of the Sun’s surface. The track metal does not absorb the near-infrared wavelength in the same way. So the steel comes out of the operation practically intact.
Therefore, each pass removes contamination along a 20-millimeter strip — little more than two centimeters. Although it seems narrow, it is exactly the area where the train wheel has real contact with the track.
- Laser type: Nd:YAG (1,064 nm), short pulse
- Power: 2 kW per cannon
- Frequency: 25,000 pulses per second
- Target temperature: ~5,000 °C
- Cleaning width: 20 mm per pass
- Operational speed: up to about 80 km/h
Why leaves on tracks become a deadly problem
Fallen leaves in autumn seem harmless. However, when they pass under the weight of a high-speed train, the material compacts on the track. A slippery black layer called “leaf film” forms.
It’s something between Teflon and graphite. The result is what’s called “wheel slip.” The train loses grip, skids, and braking is delayed.
Furthermore, in certain cases, it triggers automatic emergency systems. In the UK alone, the phenomenon was responsible for 4.5 million hours of passenger delays in a single year.
For decades, European railways used herbicides like glyphosate, high-pressure water jets, and mechanical brushes. These were expensive, polluting, or ineffective solutions. The demand for a clean technique paved the way for the laser.
The British ex-Navy officer who created laser-equipped trains on tracks
LaserThor was founded in November 1999 by Malcolm Higgins. He is a former officer of the British Royal Navy. He bet on the military and civil use of high-power coherent light sources.
According to IEEE Spectrum, Higgins approached the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in England. He then contacted the Fraunhofer Institute in Aachen, Germany. He was looking for technical partners.
Fraunhofer built the first practical version: a 1-kilowatt Nd:YAG laser. The equipment was packaged inside a one-cubic-meter box. It could be installed in a maintenance wagon.
In parallel, Rutherford Appleton lent expertise in high-frequency pulses. Subsequently, the commercial version doubled to 2 kilowatts per cannon. This was the leap that made the product viable.
Network Rail tested and gave up
In December 2002, the newly created Network Rail — which replaced Railtrack — signed a contract. It would receive two LaserThor prototypes. Despite this, according to the British operator, the technology did not work with sufficient effectiveness.
The problem was the speeds at which they needed to operate. Higgins stated in the same report that Network Rail simply stopped returning calls after the test. The British operator maintained that it needed cleaning above 80 km/h. The prototype at the time ran at only 32 km/h.
As a consequence, the United Kingdom — the invention’s homeland — abandoned the system. The story is reminiscent of Austria’s Koralmbahn program. It is a case of railway technology that takes decades to become a reality.
The Netherlands and New York adopted laser trains
While Network Rail shelved the project, Nederlandse Spoorwegen tested the equipment on a DM-90 type train. According to IEEE Spectrum, the Dutch operator validated the technology for seasonal leaf combat. It then expanded its use on the regional network.
In parallel, the Long Island Rail Road, operated by New York’s MTA, partnered with LaserThor in 2018. The goal was to combat wheel slip in the busiest suburban corridor in the USA. In the autumn of 2019, the prototype ran 12 hours a day on an operational scale.
Today, the manufacturer Laser Precision Solutions, based in Amsterdam, is advancing commercial evolution. The company announces cleaning speeds reaching almost 100 km/h in modern equipment. It is a belated response to Network Rail’s original criticism.
Why each pass cleans only two centimeters
The detail of the 20-millimeter strip seems inconvenient, but it isn’t. The wheel-rail contact area measures approximately that. It is the standard in most commercial railway systems.
In fact, it’s exactly where the grip needs to be clean. Only then can the train brake and accelerate safely. On the other hand, the narrow beam also explains why the system is so precise.
The laser does not interact with ballast, sleepers, fastenings, or cables. This way, the equipment eliminates the problem of cross-contamination. This is something that affects water jets and mechanical brushes.
What this has to do with Brazil
Brazil has over 30,000 kilometers of active railways. The highlight is Vale’s Carajás Railway. It was classified by ANTT as the safest in the country.
Despite this, the Brazilian operator has not yet adopted laser cleaning. The leaf problem is typically temperate, not tropical. In contrast, Vale already uses artificial intelligence and optical sensors.
Monitoring occurs on the integrity of the track on the EFC. The instrumentation combines temperature, noise, ultrasound, video, and laser dimensional measurement. According to ANTT, the cycle of new concessions resumed in 2026 includes tougher requirements.
In this sense, the logistics of Brazilian oil, gas, and biofuels increasingly depend on the railway network. Every hour of downtime on the ore or grain line represents direct pressure on the ports. These ports handle derivatives, LNG, and biodiesel.
Limitations of laser-equipped trains on tracks
Despite the advancement, the laser system still has a high cost per train-equipment. Industrial optical hardware is not cheap. In addition, sensors can fail in dense fog.
The technology has not yet been tested in humid tropical climates. Persistent foliage is different from deciduous European foliage. In fact, experts point out that the ROI is evident in wealthy networks.
This is the case for networks with close stations and passenger traffic sensitive to delays. The Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the USA fit this description. On heavy freight railways like Carajás or EF-Vitória-Minas, the equation changes.
The impact of leaves is smaller there. Still, the concept of “cleaning without touching” tends to spread. Railway decarbonization itself — a global agenda post-2030 — should favor the abandonment of herbicides.
A detail that explains the silent success
Curiously, almost no passenger in Long Island or Rotterdam knows this. The train they see passing at 4 AM carries a laser cannon in its belly. This is part of the design.
The operation runs at night, during maintenance windows, without public at stations. According to IEEE Spectrum, keeping the system invisible to the user is precisely the goal. When it works, the regular train arrives on time the next day.
When it fails, the passenger feels it. The complaint returns to the operator in the form of a satisfaction survey. Ultimately, the story of the railway laser is also how a British defense technology became a Dutch product.
It also became an American import. However, Brazil still observes from the outside. Despite having the safest network in the emerging world, it has yet to adopt laser-equipped trains on tracks.
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