With the recent heatwave the UK experienced, we have seen how our railway system copes (or doesn't cope in some cases) with extreme temperatures. The heat seemed to cause all sorts of issues, mainly track buckling-related, as rails expanding in the heat can create issues surround the trackwork.
The railway dealt with the heat relatively well, although some small issues cropped up which caused me to chuckle.
One of these incidents involved a man running down onto the tracks at Waterloo station, London, to save his dog. At around 7pm, on one of the hottest days of the year, a man chased his dog around the electrified lines which lead into and out of the busiest station in the country. South Western Railway reported that the lines were blocked due to "trespass". They expected disruption until the end of the day, and, thankfully, it didn't carry over into the next day.
Due to the fact that the electrified 3rd rail was switched off for every line, the trains' air conditioning systems were not working during the time of the incident. Passengers reported getting "hotter and hotter" on trains which were only a minute or two away from the station. Train Managers were not sure of when the trains would start moving again. The BTP (British Transport Police) were called to deal with the incident. The dog was eventually taken back to the station concourse, unharmed.
The heat was the not the cause of the incident at Waterloo, however; but the incidents which plagued LNER services along the East Coast Mainline (ECML) were. One train in particular which the BBC reported about was stranded on the ECML for over an hour before any rescue train got there to help. However, although more probably could have been done to help the passengers (opening doors/windows were possible and safe), the time it took for a rescue service to arrive is not that bad. All trains up and down the ECML were delayed due to the heat affecting everything from the track to the OHLE.
During the hottest day of the year, the 25th of July, passengers were advised not to travel. They were also advised of this the day before, and the day after, when delays across a lot of the railway system were still very serious and widespread. Many of the trains on the Southeastern network do not have air conditioning, and passengers who found themselves on these trains during the hottest day of the year with speed restrictions in place across the south of the country did not enjoy their days out.
The railways may not be designed for the heat we endured last week, but they work very well for the rest of the year. We built our railway system to cope with the "standard" British weather; not very cold, but no very warm. Just, well, alright. And people who say that "the trains are working in Mexico and its 40 degrees!!" when their train is cancelled in a mild heatwave* over here can be directed to the following post from the Rail UK Forums:
https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/heat-related-issues-25-july-2019-and-subsequent-days.186863/#post-4121437
And please pay attention to another post from the same thread:
https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/heat-related-issues-25-july-2019-and-subsequent-days.186863/page-2#post-4121908
Thank you very much. We apologise to the delay in getting any sort of interesting blog posts out. :)
-Peter
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