Rail restrictions continue due to weather
Travelers continue to suffer restrictions on busy railway lines as the weather threatens to get hotter.
Record temperatures across the country have raised speculation that this week may surpass the all-time high of 37.2C. This has had a serious impact on the railways, which yesterday had to cut services and reduce speeds.
Network Rail stepped in to impose some speed limits when engineers raised fears that the hot weather could cause railway lines to buckle and warp and cause an accident.
Tracks can buckle as they expand in the heat, so modern technology uses stretched metal to reduce this hazard. However, the extent to which the metal is stretched is limited by the need to ensure it is does not crack then in cold temperatures.
After Yesterday’s problems Network Rail has made clear that the same restriction will apply today, so customers will continue to be frustrated by packed platforms and longer journey times.
And with weathermen suggesting that the heat wave will continue this week because of high pressure over the UK, commuters are now set for a difficult week of traveling.
Speed limits of 60mph have been imposed across southern England for the hottest period of the day between 14:00 GMT until early evening, and this has caused Virgin Trains to reduce the number of trains that it runs so as to avoid jamming slow moving lines.
Some stretches are more severely affected by the weather than others, such as the West coast line, which runs from London to Scotland via Birmingham and Manchester. It has been suggested that this is because new sections of track can take time to ‘bed in’ and are thus less resistant to heat.
This is not the first time that the temperature has lead to restrictions on services. In April and July last year hot weather led to similar problems.
