More frequent, extreme and erratic weather events will affect the resilience of the whole railway system, according to a new research report.
Phase 1 of the ‘Tomorrow’s Railway and Climate Change Adaptation’ project reviewed the possible effects of changing weather patterns on Britain’s railway as part of an industry wide effort to assess and mitigate risk by anticipating future challenges. Arup led the research consortium, which comprised CIRIA, JBA Consulting, the Met Office and University of Birmingham, and was overseen by RSSB, Network Rail and John Dora Consulting.
The new report highlights that higher summer temperatures, changing patterns of rainfall, more frequent and extreme weather events - such as heatwaves, cold snaps, heavy rainfall and storms - will affect the resilience of the whole railway system. Britain’s track structures, earthworks and rolling stock are particularly susceptible, but by looking at the potential problems now, the industry is able to consider changes in its approach to future railway design and operations.
“There are 1.6 billion rail journeys recorded annually in Great Britain so it’s essential that we make our rail infrastructure resilient to climate change in order to keep us moving. It is in-depth research like this that will help the rail industry make informed decisions about future operations to ensure services continue to run as efficiently and safely as possible in the seasons and years to come. Polly Turton, Project Manager and climate change adaptation consultant, Arup
This first phase has identified over 120 recommendations relating to increasing the resilience of Britain’s railways and its various sub-systems in the short, medium and long term; with 10 key recommendations highlighted as priorities following consultation with GB rail experts. The outputs of Phase 1 have now been published on the RSSB website and SPARK, the international knowledge sharing portal for rail professionals and experts.
“We are already seeing the impact of a changing climate on the railway – one only has to look back at the images of disruption caused by storm damage in Dawlish last year to see what impact adverse weather conditions can have. It is vital that the GB rail industry works together to take a long-term view of the projected changes to our present climate and come up with practical measures to make sure we are as prepared as we can possibly be. Jane Dobson, Head of Delivery, RSSB
Phase 2 of the research programme will focus on what can be done by the GB rail industry to respond and adapt to the potential impacts of projected climate change and extreme weather over the short, medium and long term and is due to publish its findings in spring 2016.