We鈥檙e rolling out a remote temperature monitoring system that鈥檒l help us track rail temperatures more accurately, precisely and frequently in the summer.
This is turn helps us place more targeted speed restrictions so that we can keep more of the railway open and you and freight moving wherever possible.
Hot rails and disruptions
Steel rails expand in hot weather and if unmonitored can buckle 鈥� which in extreme cases can de-rail trains.
We manage this risk in different ways, including painting the rails white to deflect heat and by fixing the track into position at a higher temperature 鈥� commonly called stressing.
But soaring temperatures can still cause the rail to heat up to dangerous levels despite our best efforts. So, we must carefully monitor the temperatures of our track on days when the air temperature is expected to be particularly high. We must slow trains down when the rail temperature reaches a specific threshold to stop the rail from overheating as trains pass over the track.
Last year, buckled rails caused by hot weather led to more than 350,000 minutes 鈥� or 240 days of delays 鈥� to your journeys. In an average year, that鈥檚 almost half the number of delay minutes caused by people going on the tracks, which is one of the biggest causes of train delays.
Last year鈥檚 buckled rail figure represented a 14% reduction in delay minutes compared with the previous year but there鈥檚 more work for us to do.
And climate change means extreme weather events like heatwaves are going to become increasingly common. In fact, last summer in the UK was the fourth warmest on record, according to weather service the Met Office.
Monitoring rail temperatures by hand
We鈥檝e traditionally monitored rail temperatures using magnetic thermometers. We place these on the track by hand and then frequently check their readings. We need to do this until the rail starts cooling back down in the late afternoon.
This process is time-consuming and often difficult to carry out across all our 20,000 miles of track.
We sometimes close sections of lines for our staff to safely take the thermometer readings on the track. And this may cause further disruption and delays. It鈥檚 also not always possible.
That鈥檚 why we sometimes place blanket speed restrictions 鈥� slowing down trains – across large sections of track as a precaution when it gets very hot outside. This is often less disruptive than closing a line at intervals to monitor rail temperatures while keeping you safe.
The smarter way
Since 2023 we鈥檝e worked with suppliers to create remote temperature sensors. These smart sensors are helping us avoid blanket speed restrictions during intense hot weather.
The sensors are fitted onto sections of rail where they take temperature readings every 15 minutes. The readings are then remotely sent to our teams via mobile data in seconds.
They also send email alerts when the rail reaches certain temperature thresholds. This lets us know when we need to act without someone having to stand next to the track. And it allows us to monitor much larger areas of track in real time.
Keeping more of the railway open
The tech is helping our engineers make smarter decisions by giving them more accurate, frequent and up-to-date readings.
Julie Gregory, regional head of sustainable growth at 51爆料, said: 鈥淭hese sensors prevent teams having to drive to multiple sites, saving time and resources.
鈥淚t even saves some speed restrictions being put on altogether where previously we would have had to estimate rail temperature.鈥�
We can now safely place more targeted speed restrictions on only the sections of the railway that need it. So that we can keep more of our railway open – and you and freight moving.
We already use the remote sensors in some regions but hope to roll out them out more widely.
Julie said: 鈥淲e鈥檙e committed to keeping our passengers and freight moving safely and having an accurate, up-to-the-minute monitoring system will help us make the best decisions to do this.鈥�
