The UK's railway system is facing significant challenges in adapting to extreme weather, with experts warning the network is "woefully behind" in its resilience efforts. This warning follows a recent train derailment in East Sussex, where buckled rails are suspected to be the cause.
A Southern service carrying approximately 150 passengers derailed near Lewes station on one of the UK's hottest days. The incident, which occurred yesterday, resulted in 20 people being taken to hospital, with two individuals remaining hospitalized due to serious injuries. Investigators are examining whether the steel tracks expanded and warped due to the extreme heat.
This derailment is the latest in a series of major accidents on Britain's railways over the past year. In June, a collision near Bedford resulted in the death of a driver and injuries to 162 people. Another incident in June saw a mother killed and a child injured when a train struck a car at a level crossing in Lancashire. In November of the previous year, an Avanti West Coast train derailed after striking a landslide in Cumbria, leading to minor injuries for four passengers.
Record-breaking heatwaves this year have exacerbated issues on the railway, including sagging overhead wires, lineside fires, and buckled rails, which can reach temperatures significantly higher than the ambient air temperature. Rail expert Mark Smith, founder of the website The Man In Seat 61, described the effects of climate change on the railway as a "new challenge which the railways will have to rise to." He noted that this includes addressing buckled rails during heatwaves and the impact of extreme weather on infrastructure like bridges and embankments. Smith also suggested that operators may need to invest in more robust air conditioning for trains.
Despite these incidents, demand for rail travel in the UK is high, with 1.83 billion journeys made in the most recent year, the highest number since 1920. Former rail minister Norman Baker emphasized that statistically, rail remains one of the safest forms of public transport, with 24 accidental deaths on the mainline rail network between April 2024 and March 2025, a fraction of road fatalities. However, he acknowledged the need to adapt, stating, "Anyone who is my age will see the dramatic change in the weather and we have to deal with that. These are new circumstances."
Transport management expert Ioannis Koliousis from Cranfield School of Management highlighted that the UK railway system, while having established procedures for hot weather, was engineered around historically expected climatic conditions. He stated, "There are limits to how far an existing network can accommodate exceptional temperatures without operational restrictions." Koliousis suggested that the increasing frequency of extreme temperatures may necessitate a re-evaluation of historic infrastructure design assumptions, requiring investment in track, signaling, electrification, and monitoring for long-term climate resilience.
Network Rail announced a five-year rail improvement plan worth £2.8 billion in 2024, aimed at enhancing the network's ability to cope with extreme weather. This includes increased investment in maintaining drains, cuttings, and embankments, as well as installing more 'smart' movement sensors to provide early warnings of potential landslips.
While officials maintain the railway is safe, emphasizing the rarity of derailments and the existence of control processes, the recent incidents underscore the growing need for infrastructure to withstand a changing climate. The Rail Accident Investigation Branch is leading the investigation into the Lewes derailment to establish its exact cause.