Train delays caused by leaves on the line will hopefully not affect Bolton as train operator Northern prepares to take on the elements this autumn.

Engineers at Northern confident they will outfox old adversary this autumn as they complete ‘battle prep’ three months ahead of schedule

They say they have finished upgrading their fleet three months early to combat the annual assault of autumn leaves on train lines.

In recent years, the company has been deploying new tactics to tackle ‘leaves on the line’ issues.

This year they're using technology including Water-Trak, Wheel Slide Prevention (WSP), and Double Variable Rate Sanders (DVRS).

Water-Trak sprays water onto the track simulating heavy rain, to prevent wheels from slipping and has been fitted to all 16 of the Class 170 trains.

WSP technology stops wheels from ‘locking’ while the train is moving, eliminating flat spots on round wheels - it's now fitted to all Class 150 and Class 156 trains in service.

DVRS can release up to three times the amount of sand at a higher speed and is fitted to all 34 of Northern’s Class 323 trains.

Northern believes these implementations will significantly decrease disruption caused by leaf-fall.

Rob Cummings, seasonal performance improvement manager, said: "Whilst it feels like summer has only just arrived this week - our engineers have had their eyes firmly fixed on autumn for some time."

He reported that fallen leaves used to pose a difficulty across the network, but improvements over the years have reduced this issue.

"To be 'battle ready' three months ahead of schedule is a real testament to the team that has worked so hard to ensure our fleet is ready for whatever nature throws at it," he added.

Leaf-fall disruption happens when leaves stick to damp rails and get compressed by passing trains into a sleek, slippery layer causing the trains to lose grip.

As recently as 2018, Northern had to take 306 trains out of service for wheel repairs due wheel-slides on slippery rails, last year, the number dropped to 14.

The reduction of time spent on repairs allowed Northern to provide repair services to other operators, creating a new income stream.