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Wednesday 24 Jul 2019

Network Rail activates extreme weather action teams to keep passengers moving

Region & Route:

National

• With temperatures expected to soar this week, Network Rail has activated its ‘extreme weather action teams’ (EWATs) across the country to ensure passengers are kept safe and our railway keeps running as reliably as possible
• Most of the railway operates normally in hot weather, but speed restrictions may be introduced at hottest locations

• We have a number of measures in place to reduce the impact of hot weather on the railway

Our network is made of 20,000 miles of steel track, which absorbs heat easily. In the summer, the track can get up to 20 degrees hotter than the air temperature. When steel becomes very hot it expands and if there is no room for the rail to expand further, this can cause the rail to buckle. If rails buckle the line has to be closed for repair before trains can run again.

In some locations we may have to introduce speed restrictions during the hottest part of the day at vulnerable locations as slower trains exert lower forces on the track and reduce the likelihood of buckling.

Nick King, network services director at Network Rail said: “Keeping passengers safe and moving are our top priorities during this heatwave. That’s why we sometimes have to put speed restriction on to prevent our rails - that can be over 20 degrees hotter than air temperatures - from buckling which can derail a train and cause huge delays. Passengers should check before they travel, by visiting their train operator’s website or National Rail Enquiries.” 

ENDS

Notes to editors:

• Since the last hottest summer in 2003, in 2018, we reduced the number of buckled rail incidents by 83%.
• When installing our steel rails, we use a process called stressing to protect against buckling. Stressing the rails allows us to set the range of temperatures the track can comfortably cope with. Stressing our rails to cope with higher summer temperatures would mean making them less able to cope with low temperatures during the winter. Our rails have a stress-free temperature of 27^oC, the average summer rail temperature in the UK. You can find more info here - https://www.networkrail.co.uk/why-rails-buckle-in-britain/
• Long periods without rain can mean the ground underneath the tracks dries out and shrinks, creating pothole-like cracks. Much like on the roads, trains can’t drive at full speed over these defects and have to slow down to keep passengers safe. 
• Our teams work hard all year round to reduce minimise the disruption caused by hot weather. You can find more information about what we do here -https://www.networkrail.co.uk/running-the-railway/looking-after-the-railway/delays-explained/buckled-rail/
• More information on climate change and weather resilience on the railway is available here - https://www.networkrail.co.uk/communities/environment/climate-change-weather-resilience/