The company Delayed - Leaves on the track” will be an English commuter’s nightmare announcement no more, once network rail installs the award winning technology of this British company. The UK laser technology company designed and built an innovative laser based rail track cleaning system. The system once installed on a multi-purpose rail vehicle is capable of burning off leaves and other contaminants on rail tracks at speeds of up to 60km/h. The technology The initial idea that has subsequently become the Laser Railhead Cleaner was conceived in the autumn of 1999 whilst listening to a radio programme about ‘Leaves on the Line.’ Lasers were playing important roles in medicine, industry and various cleaning processes so it seemed at least possible that they could offer a solution to an obviously intractable problem in the rail industry. The objectives The company turned to IBT Partners for assistance in presenting the exciting new technology to the SNCF (French Railways). IBT services IBT Partners support included:
• researching rail cleaning practices in France
• financial modelling to illustrate the economic benefits of the technology
• preparation and translation of presentation and technical documents
• presentations in French to the SNCF Rail Maintenance Department The initial meetings soon led to the requirement for numerous site visits to the UK by the SNCF. IBT Partners assisted the company with the coordination of the visits and accompanied the SNCF team to provide bi-lingual as well as technical support. As a result of these visits the SNCF will be testing the technology in France. The Client Management team also seeking new opportunities presented the RATP as a second potential market in France. An additional benefit has been the opportunity for Network Rail and the SNCF to build a closer relationship at a new level. Hopefully rail commuters on both sides of the Channel will be wasting less time waiting for delayed trains thanks to the technology. | 
