West Coast Main Line: Temperature
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to improve the resilience of rail infrastructure on the West Coast Main Line to the effects of climate change, including track buckling and overhead line sagging caused by extreme heat, in order to reduce passenger disruption.
Answered by Simon Lightwood
Network Rail is investing £2.6 billion in activities and technology that will help it better cope with extreme weather and climate change between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2029. Network Rail published its regional weather resilience and climate change adaptation plans for 2024-2029 which explain how weather, including high temperatures, and climate change can affect its infrastructure at a more targeted, local level, and how they are managing those risks. The plans for Scotland and North West and Central cover the West Coast Main Line. In addition, publicly owned train operators including Avanti, developed weather resilience and climate change adaptation plans in early 2026, focusing on risks and impacts to operations, staff and customers as well as infrastructure.
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