A solution could soon be on the way to the sticky problem of leaves on the line which causes rail commuter chaos at this time of year.

Network Rail is to invest £1.6m in technology designed to help keep trains running during the autumn leaf fall period.

And Winchester-based company, Laserthor, is behind the new system, which will clean rail lines of contamination using laser beams. The two firms have signed a contract to develop the scheme further.

One of the uses of the technology could be to tackle the problem of leaves on the line - the railway's equivalent of black ice. Laserthor has been working in conjunction with the rail industry since it was founded in 1999 by Malcolm Higgins.

Over the intervening years, the track-cleaning lasers have proved to be safe, cost-effective and efficient in removing railhead contamination - from leaf residue to oil and grease.

Railtrack, now Network Rail, supports the research and provide Laserthor with track and trains to test the equipment on.

This week, as the technology was launched at the Railtex Exhibition at Birmingham, final trials are beginning with pre-production prototype lasers fitted to a multi purpose vehicle at a depot in Surrey. The apparatus should come into operational use in the autumn of 2003.

Peter Henderson, Network Rail's director of major projects and engineering, said: "For years leaves have been the butt of jokes, but they do present a problem for trains.

"When crushed, they form a Teflon-like coating on the rail head that can cause slipping and adhesion problems, like black ice on the roads. Every year, we spend millions the problems Mother Nature throws at us.

"Although this is not a cure, we believe the Laserthor project could become an important weapon in our armoury and that this partnership confirms Network Rail's commitment to a safer and more reliable rail network."

Malcolm Higgins, boss of Laserthor, said this week: "Over three years of research and development are now paying dividends with the first pre-production laser-train on the tracks. Network Rail's support, commitment and belief has been invaluable in making it a reality."