Nederlandse Spoorwegen is to trial a 'laser railhead cleaner' which will be placed on the chassis of its stock, facing downwards, and which will shoot a beam which remove leaves and dust from the rail and dry it before the wheels pass over it...
http://businessetc.thejournal.ie/dutch-trains-are-trying-out-lasers-to-blast-rail-debris-away-1826350-Dec2014/?utm_source=twitter_self
Could save a lot of money in the long term.