Keeping rail tracks clean doesn’t just happen. Where a lot of vegetation grows alongside railways, weeds find their own onto the tracks, creating potential tripping hazards for passing trains.
Union Pacific’s employees have developed a new spraying train to clear out the tracks. The new technology enables 160 miles of tracks to be sprayed in 12 hours, compared to 30 miles of tracks with the previous equipment used. The trains can run 24/7, covering up to 300 miles per day.
The previous equipment usually were slower hirail trucks, which meant they would create more congestion when operating. The new spraying trains are faster and have a more efficient coverage, clearing out the way for regular freight traffic. The five-water cars can carry up to 100,000 gallons of water.
The spraying technology is essential to maintain clear tracks, but may also have devastating effects on nearby plantations and rivers. In May 2021, in Canada, CN Rail was fined $100,000 for spraying herbicide over 150 kilometres of track without clearance.