{"id":477408,"date":"2022-07-22T18:17:22","date_gmt":"2022-07-22T15:17:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/why-uk-railways-cant-deal-with-heatwaves-and-what-might-help\/"},"modified":"2022-07-22T18:17:22","modified_gmt":"2022-07-22T15:17:22","slug":"why-uk-railways-cant-deal-with-heatwaves-and-what-might-help","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-uk-railways-cant-deal-with-heatwaves-and-what-might-help\/","title":{"rendered":"#Why UK railways can&#8217;t deal with heatwaves\u2014and what might help"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3d8170db51e\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3d8170db51e\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-uk-railways-cant-deal-with-heatwaves-and-what-might-help\/#%E2%80%9CWhy_UK_railways_cant_deal_with_heatwaves%E2%80%94and_what_might_help%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;Why UK railways can&#8217;t deal with heatwaves\u2014and what might help&#8221;<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CWhy_UK_railways_cant_deal_with_heatwaves%E2%80%94and_what_might_help%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;Why UK railways can&#8217;t deal with heatwaves\u2014and what might help&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-gallery lightGallery\">\n<div data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2022\/why-uk-railways-cant-d.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/hires\/2022\/why-uk-railways-cant-d.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"UK rail lines don\u2019t do well in the heat. Credit: hxdyl\/Shutterstock\">\n<figure class=\"article-img\">\n            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800a\/2022\/why-uk-railways-cant-d.jpg\" alt=\"Why UK railways can't deal with heatwaves \u2014 and what might help\" title=\"UK rail lines don\u2019t do well in the heat. Credit: hxdyl\/Shutterstock\" width=\"800\" height=\"394\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-darken text-low-up text-truncate-js text-truncate mt-3\">\n                UK rail lines don\u2019t do well in the heat. Credit: hxdyl\/Shutterstock<br \/>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The UK&#8217;s rail service has been hit with widespread train delays and high levels of <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/news\/2022\/07\/18\/met-office-weather-heatwave-warning-uk-schools-work\/\">cancelations<\/a> during the heatwave. The whole of the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/uk-england-cambridgeshire-62209907\">east coast line<\/a> between Edinburgh and London was closed for hours on July 20 because of the heat.<\/p>\n<p>                                                                                So why is the heatwave causing so much havoc on the train lines? Like most construction materials, steel, which rails are made from, expands when air temperature increases. When this movement is restrained by the anchorage, which holds the rail and the sleeper (the rectangular supports for the rails) in place,  internal stresses build up, and compression buckles or kinks the rail. <\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/core.ac.uk\/download\/pdf\/11039079.pdf\">This buckling<\/a> can cause a long piece of steel, such as a steel rail, to <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.climatecentral.org\/news\/climate-change-warp-railroad-tracks-sun-kinks-17470\">bend slightly or kink<\/a>. Trains cannot <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/trip-and-travel\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Trip &amp; Travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">travel<\/a> over rail lines with kinks. In the US, kinks caused by the sun caused over <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scientificamerican.com\/article\/sun-kinks-in-railways-join-the-list-of-climate-change-s-toll\/#:~:text=Sun%20kinks%20have%20already%20caused,derailments%20a%20year%2C%20on%20average.\">2,100 train derailments<\/a> in the past 40 years, equivalent to around 50 derailments per year.<\/p>\n<p>When air temperature reaches 30\u00b0C, rails in the sun can reach 50\u00b0C. In the UK a <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.networkrail.co.uk\/running-the-railway\/looking-after-the-railway\/delays-explained\/speed-restrictions\/\">temporary speed restriction<\/a> is imposed when rails reach this temperature because trains <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ly less pressure on the rails when they slow down. Some railway maintenance teams <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.networkrail.co.uk\/stories\/how-we-prevent-tracks-from-getting-too-hot\/\">paint rails white<\/a> to cool them down in summer. According to Network Rail, this can reduce the rail temperature by 5\u00b0C, to 10\u00b0C. Network Rail workers started <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/i\/web\/status\/1547986150723244032\">painting the train<\/a> lines several days ahead of the July heatwave.<\/p>\n<p>Modern rail systems are getting better at holding rails in place. Most tracks are made up of long pieces of rail that are stretched and welded together, which helps hold them in place. This reduces the chance of buckling. When a track is made up of short rails bolted together, Network Rail leaves small gaps between each one to allow for expansion in hot weather. <\/p>\n<p>Electric trains are often powered by overhead wires which can also be damaged by hot weather. Heat can make wires expand and sag. Too much sag will break the overhead line equipment. A pulley system keeps overhead wires tense and can compensate for sag. <\/p>\n<p><b>How other nations cope<\/b><\/p>\n<p>As temperatures rise to unprecedented levels, even <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S235214652030106X\">Spanish train lines<\/a>, which typically cope well in the heat, are buckling and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.railtech.com\/infrastructure\/2022\/07\/19\/fires-near-tracks-and-heat-complaints-hot-spell-shakes-up-european-railways\/?gdpr=accept\">services are being canceled<\/a>.   <\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/railroads.dot.gov\/divisions\/rail-integrity\/continuous-welded-rail-cwr\">Continuous weld rails<\/a>, which are <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/core.ac.uk\/download\/pdf\/287123018.pdf\">used as standard worldwide<\/a> including in the UK, are optimized to work around a given &#8220;stress-free temperature&#8221; (SFT). The higher this temperature, the hotter the rails can get without buckling. <\/p>\n<p>In the UK, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.networkrail.co.uk\/stories\/why-rails-buckle-in-britain\/\">the SFT is 27\u00b0C<\/a>, the traditional mean summer rail temperature. In <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.volpe.dot.gov\/infrastructure-systems-and-technology\/structures-and-dynamics\/track-buckling-research\">the US<\/a>, standard values vary between 35\u00b0C and 43\u00b0C. <\/p>\n<p>If the UK SFT was higher, then the railways could operate in hotter weather because the rails wouldn&#8217;t expand so much at higher temperatures. But if the rails are made for too high an SFT then they won&#8217;t be able to cope with the colder temperatures they experience in winter. This would create tremendous stresses and the rails could shear off their anchorage. <\/p>\n<p>Some countries&#8217; railways are able to cope with such high temperature variation by using solid concrete slabs to contain the higher forces created. But slab tracks costs approximately four times as much to install as standard ballasted track.<\/p>\n<p>Climate change means many countries&#8217; railways will <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/research.birmingham.ac.uk\/en\/publications\/a-data-model-for-heat-related-rail-buckling-implications-for-oper\">more often<\/a> reach temperatures they were not designed to cope with, threatening public transport on a scale never seen before. We just saw the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.metoffice.gov.uk\/about-us\/press-office\/news\/weather-and-climate\/2022\/red-extreme-heat-warning-ud\">highest temperature ever recorded<\/a> in the UK at 40.3\u00b0C, well above the previous daily high of 38.7\u00b0C in 2019.<\/p>\n<p>During the construction of HS2, the new highspeed railway being built between London, Manchester and Leeds, bridges and overhead wires have been fitted with sensors to collect data about weather including the air temperature. This data will be used to create the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.railtech.com\/infrastructure\/2022\/02\/01\/hs2-engineers-working-on-digital-twin-for-new-high-speed-rail-network\/?gdpr=accept\">digital twins<\/a> of HS2, allowing for a new type of maintenance that can predict high temperatures and other types of disruptive weather. <\/p>\n<p>A <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cdbb.cam.ac.uk\/news\/digital-twin-journeys-understanding-information-need-bridge-better-information-management\">digital twin<\/a> is a digital representation of the railway network. This would allow engineers to simulate future scenarios for the UK rail network and predict what might happen if high temperatures are forecast, and be able to take preventative action in advance.  This could be one way to prevent some of the huge cancelations seen in the recent UK heatwave.\n                                                                                                                        <\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<div class=\"article-main__explore my-4 d-print-none\">\n<p>                                            <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-medium text-info mt-2 d-inline-block\" href=\"https:\/\/medicalxpress.com\/news\/2021-05-consumers-bed-rails-pose-entrapment.html\">Consumers warned about bed rails that pose entrapment, asphyxia risk<\/a>\n                                        <\/div>\n<hr class=\"mb-4\"\/>\n<div class=\"d-inline-block text-medium my-4\">\n                                                Provided by<br \/>\n                                                                                                    The Conversation<br \/>\n                                                                                                        <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"icon_open\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\"><br \/>\n                                                        <svg>\n                                                            <use href=\"https:\/\/techx.b-cdn.net\/tmpl\/v2\/img\/svg\/sprite.svg#icon_open\" x=\"0\" y=\"0\"\/>\n                                                        <\/svg><br \/>\n                                                    <\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"article-main__note mt-4\">\n                                                This article is republished from <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\">The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/why-uk-railways-cant-deal-with-heatwaves-and-what-might-help-187311\">original article<\/a>.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/187311\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced\" alt=\"The Conversation\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\"\/><\/p>\n<p>                                        <!-- print only --><\/p>\n<div class=\"d-none d-print-block\">\n<p>                                                 <strong>Citation<\/strong>:<br \/>\n                                                 Why UK railways can&#8217;t deal with heatwaves\u2014and what might help (2022, July 22)<br \/>\n                                                 retrieved 24 July 2022<br \/>\n                                                 from https:\/\/techxplore.com\/<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a>\/2022-07-uk-railways-heatwavesand.html<\/p>\n<p>                                            This document is subject to copyright. 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Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more Like this articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/science\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Science category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/techxplore.com\/news\/2022-07-uk-railways-heatwavesand.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Why UK railways can&#8217;t deal with heatwaves\u2014and what might help&#8221; UK rail lines don\u2019t do well in the heat. Credit: hxdyl\/Shutterstock The UK&#8217;s rail service has been hit with widespread train delays and high levels of cancelations during the heatwave. The whole of the east coast line between Edinburgh and London was closed for hours&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":477409,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/hires\/2022\/why-uk-railways-cant-d.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-477408","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sciencee"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/477408","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=477408"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/477408\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/477409"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=477408"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=477408"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=477408"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}