Network Rail has signed a five-year agreement—valued at approximately £850 million and with options for three-year extensions—to operate and maintain its fleet of seasonal treatment trains from August 2025 through to at least 2030. The contract guarantees nationwide coverage for weed-killing, leaf-blasting, anti-icing and snow-clearance activities, underpinning timetable reliability during the most challenging months.
Adam Southern, supply-chain delivery director at Network Rail, said:
“Running trains reliably and safely in autumn and winter is a tough challenge and we rely heavily on specialist operators and equipment. Leaves on the line get crushed under train wheels and leave a material like black-ice on tracks, which can cause signals to fail and trains to slide. Ice on live rails can cause trains to stall and we all know the disruption that heavy snow can cause. These contracts with established hauliers see our fleet of treatment trains maintained and run well for the next five years at least, providing passengers and freight customers with a reliable service whatever the weather.”
Fleet allocation and upgrades
- Multi-Purpose Vehicles (MPVs) – 32 units nationwide
- GB Railfreight will operate MPVs across northern regions.
- Balfour Beatty will cover southern routes.
- Six former overhead-line MPVs are being re-engineered with new high-pressure water-jetting kits and anti-ice tanks, easing demand on the existing fleet.
- Rail Head Treatment Trains (RHTTs) – 29 locomotive-hauled sets
- Duties divided between Colas Rail and GB Railfreight, delivering high-pressure water-jetting and sandite application on longer corridors than MPVs can manage.
- Snow and Ice Treatment Trains (SITTs) – 10 sets
- Operated by GB Railfreight to spray anti-freeze fluid and keep conductor rails clear.
- Dedicated snow-clearance equipment
- Colas Rail will provide plough operations across Great Britain and manage Scotland’s two specialist snow blowers.
Future-proofing capability
The framework includes scope to introduce additional vehicles and emergent technologies over the contract term, ensuring Network Rail can respond to evolving climate patterns and service demands. The provision of upgraded MPVs and the flexibility to add new resources is expected to strengthen network resilience during leaf-fall season, freezing conditions and heavy snowfall.
With this long-term arrangement in place, Network Rail and its freight partners aim to secure a consistent, weather-resilient timetable for both passenger and freight operators, reinforcing reliability during the critical autumn and winter periods.
