In its third 'Adaption Report', Network Rail sets out the progress made from 2016 to 2021 on making the network more resilient to extreme weather conditions caused by climate change and what further actions can be taken as these events increase in frequency.
The impact of the changing climate has been increasingly evident in recent years, with the railway suffering more frequent and more severe extreme weather events, the report states.
Weather trends also point towards an increased frequency of extreme drier periods, followed by prolonged and extreme wet weather, in the coming years.
These factors accelerate the “deterioration of earthworks and put pressure on drainage systems and other rail infrastructure,” the report said.
Network Rail has deployed a 'Weather Risk Task Force', which is collecting data to help it improve its future response to extreme weather events.
Between 2006 and 2021, the report calculated that weather-related incidents...