Vegetation management

Our work to manage trees and other vegetation by the railway helps to keep trains running safely and on time.

What does vegetation management mean to us?

Managing the trees and plants alongside our railway is essential for the safety of passengers and railway workers. We carefully plan this to achieve a respectful balance that protects our lineside habitats.

It’s a coordinated effort between different professionals within our teams. Maintenance teams regularly cut back plants growing too close to the trains, while specialist tree workers handle larger scale felling work.

Why is vegetation management important?

With 20,000 miles of track and millions of trees growing along the railway, managing vegetation is hugely important to us. If not managed well, trees and fallen leaves can risk the safe running of the railway and cause train delays.

We might be managing trees and plants to restore or enhance a preferred habitat or undertake work to manage undesirable conditions where vegetation pose a risk to the safe operation of the railway or to neighbouring property.

Where is vegetation management done?

We routinely clear vegetation from the area immediately next to the track. In areas where trains run at higher speeds, in cuttings or embankments, or near level crossings and overhead line equipment, we may need to clear vegetation further back.

We remove trees that are, or could be, dangerous. We also remove trees that negatively affect the reliability of services that millions of passengers rely on every day.

In addition to maintaining our railway, we sometimes need to clear areas of vegetation. This helps our trackside teams examine or repair earthworks and structures. It is also part of larger programmes of work, such as preparing for overhead line electrification.

To reduce the problems caused by leaves falling on the railway in the autumn, we target the maintenance or removal of certain broadleaf tree species such as poplar and sycamore. By proactively managing the trees along the railway, we are able to keep people safe and prevent unnecessary delays.

How we manage our trees and plants next to the railway 

We use a combination of remote survey methods such as aerial surveys and our historical data records to create our inventory of trees and vegetation.

We use this information to assist our tree and vegetation management professionals to undertake inspections of the lineside and to carry out on site risk assessments.

Our inspections help us to understand the extent and diversity of our trees and woodland habitats, identify important trees and protected areas and identify conditions that could threaten tree health such as Ash Die Back.

Where work is required we carefully select the appropriate method of working that takes into account the type and extent of trees and vegetation to be managed and how this will impact on communities and the environment.

Our local teams will be on hand to provide key information to our neighbours and stakeholders in advance of the works taking place.

Our methods

• We use wide range of hand held and mechanical  equipment to maintain, restore or improve preferred habitats and protected areas.
• We undertake tree management including tree surgery and felling operations to remove trees that have been identified as a risk.
• We use mechanical and hand held equipment to manage vegetation so that it is clear of safety zones to prevent contact with our overhead power lines, trees falling and hitting trains or surrounding property or block the visibility at signals, signs or our level crossings and potentially cause an accident.
• We use train borne and mechanical or hand held herbicide applications to control weed growth where our staff have to walk and to avoid key parts of the track and trains systems being covered by vegetation.

• In some places we manage vegetation to help our trackside teams examine or repair earthworks and structures.
• To reduce the problems caused by leaves falling on the railway in the autumn, we will target certain sites where the leaf fall density is predicted to be high during autumn and where trains might be affected
• We use approved herbicides to prevent the spread of injurious and invasive non native plants and to prevent weeds spreading into safety zones where vegetation growth can problems.

We leave the area tidy and either remove the logs and branches or chip smaller branches to spread them evenly as chippings.

When there is enough space and it is safe, we may leave some of the smaller branches in a small pile. This creates a habitat for wildlife

Our teams will often carry out additional improvements while on site, such as clearing away litter and mending fences.

Charity and government partners

When planning our vegetation management work – whether we’re removing trees or planting new ones away from the railway – our experts look to our charity and governmental partners for advice on best practice.

Some of the organisations we work with include;

Frequently asked questions

Get in touch 

If you’d like to get in touch with us about vegetation on the railway, visit our contact us page.

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