UK launches rail resilience taskforce after record heatwave

Network Rail – the UK’s public body for railway infrastructure – has announced the launch of a new taskforce led by independent experts to investigate and make recommendations on how it can develop its approach to resilience during hot weather.

UK temperatures exceeded 40°C (104°F) for the first time on record this week, leading to a series of cancellations over fears tracks may buckle and cause a derailment.

“The weather we’ve experienced this week has put a huge amount of pressure on our infrastructure, our staff and our passengers, and with extreme weather events becoming more frequent as our climate continues to change, we’ve got to pull out all the stops to make our railway as res...