Leaves stick to damp rails and are compressed into a smooth, slippery layer, reducing the trains’ grip.

This can delay services so Northern is fitting what it describes as 'leaf-busting' technology to 16 of its 170 passenger trains operating between Leeds, Harrogate, and York.

Routes between Sheffield, Doncaster, Hull and Scarborough will also be upgraded. The locations were chosen because they are some of those most affected by leaves.

The technology – Water-Trak - creates rainy-day conditions on the rail surface by spraying a small amount of water from the train onto the track when a slippery rail is detected.

While this might appear counter-intuitive, researchers discovered that leaf-coated rails only become slippery when damp, and that trains stop safely in heavy rain.

Rob Cummings, seasonal improvement manager at Northern, said: