General speed restrictions are likely to be in place around south-east England, with air temperatures forecast to possibly exceed the highest ever recorded in Britain, which was 38.7 in 2019. Network Rail’s emergency weather teams are meeting on Friday to review detailed forecasts and are expected to limit train speeds for safety if temperatures exceed 35C. Passengers will be advised that trains are likely to run with serious delays, particularly on main lines in and out of London, where a speed limit of 60mph would have a significant impact on fast services. It means long-distance trains to Scotland, Wales and outlying parts of England could be disrupted as much as London and the South East – the areas predicted to experience the hottest temperatures. Rails, overhead lines and points are all sensitive to excessive heat. Steel rails can heat up to 55C on a 35C day and are more likely to buckle when used by trains traveling at higher speeds. Overhead lines can fail, while other rail equipment is more likely to fail in the heat. Trackside fires are also a risk and rail incident response teams will be on alert. A Network Rail spokesman said: “Passengers should be prepared for extreme temperatures next week and take a bottle of water on the train when travelling. There will be disruption, so plan ahead, be prepared and check before you travel.” Local speed limits may be in place in temperatures above 30C, but general restrictions are likely to be in place from Sunday to Tuesday according to current forecasts. In 2019, many trains were canceled and passengers were advised to avoid travel in a July heatwave that saw a record high of 38.7C in Cambridge. Network Rail receives detailed weather reports from specialist meteorologists who cover every square mile of the railway and will review them on Friday before announcing any speed limits. Subscribe to the Business Today daily email or follow Guardian Business on Twitter @BusinessDesk Transport for London, meanwhile, said it has implemented a comprehensive hot weather plan to protect its infrastructure and keep services running. Mark Evers, TfL’s Chief Customer Officer, said: “During this hot weather, we are advising customers to make sure they have water with them when they travel, to offer a seat to those who may need it and who may want to they travel to quieter times. possible.” Trains on around 40% of the Underground network are now air-conditioned, including London Overground and Elizabeth line trains. TfL introduced industrial-sized fans and cooling units to pump cold air into the older underground lines.
