Railways: Temperature
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the resilience of the rail network to increasing summer temperatures.
Answered by Keir Mather
The Department recognises that increasing summer temperatures can affect the safe and reliable operation of the railway, including through impacts on track, signalling and power infrastructure. The rail industry has established procedures to manage these risks, including enhanced monitoring, inspections and operational measures such as temporary speed restrictions during periods of extreme heat.
More broadly, the Department is working with the rail industry to improve the long-term resilience of the rail network to climate change. Network Rail is investing £2.6 billion between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2029 in activities and technology to help its infrastructure better withstand extreme weather and climate change. It has also published regional Weather Resilience and Climate Change Adaptation plans for 2024-29, setting out how weather and climate risks affect infrastructure at a local level. Publicly owned train operators have similarly developed weather resilience and climate change adaptation plans to identify and address risks to operations, staff and passengers.
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