Metro-North's Leaf-Zapping 'Laser Train" Has New Retro-Futuristic Look

HUDSON VALLEY, NY — Metro-North's leaf-zapping Laser Train is back on the tracks with a new look that is somehow both futuristic and retro.

Metro-North Railroad announced on Tuesday that its Laser Train, which uses lasers to remove the wet, slimy sludge caused by crushed fallen leaves that can delay trains, has been wrapped in a bold, new display that makes it more visible to the public. Despite its high-tech tools, the train previously looked like normal maintenance trains.

"The laser train is back, and it will be easier for our customers to spot this year," Metro-North Railroad President Catherine Rinaldi said. "The new wrap around the Metro-North laser train shows the talent and creativity of the Metro-North workforce, and our customers can keep an eye out as the laser train travels around throughout the region this fall."

SEE ALSO: New 'Game Changer' Lasers Will Fight Leaves On Metro-North Tracks

Metro-North says that the Laser Train will keep autumn passenger trains operating at their normal length. When trains encounter the slimy leaf sludge, caused by pectin in the leaves, they can slip along the rails when trains brake, causing the wheels to develop an unsafe flat spot. In order for trains to operate safely and quietly, wheels need to be "true," or perfectly circular. Train cars found to have wheels with flat spots are taken out of service so machinists can re-true the wheels with precision lathes.

Drawing inspiration from NASA's "worm" logo of the 1970s, the bold, retro-futuristic design of the Laser Train wrap was a collaboration between Metro-North's operations, safety and asset management teams. The design features images of leaves commonly found throughout Metro-North's vast service area in temperate deciduous forests commonly found in the northeast U.S.

The Laser Train wrap coincides with Metro-North debuting a 40th anniversary Heritage Series of locomotives serving as a tribute to Metro-North’s predecessors.

Earlier this year, the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) awarded Metro-North with the Rail Safety Gold Award for developing a Laser Train capable of operating at 60 mph, which allows Metro-North to clean the territory at least once a day.

The Long Island Rail Road first used laser trains in 2017 before sending the concept over to Metro-North. After a successful pilot run last year, Metro-North expanded their Laser Train this year. During the pilot test last fall, Metro-North cleaned over 12,000 miles of track with the Laser Train, which resulted in a 40 percent reduction in slip/slide events and the lowest wheel-true cost season on record.