According to an analysis of Standard Ethics based on publicly available information, 58 per cent of the largest European rail infrastructure managers do not communicate a commitment to specific environmental targets.Read more
This Thursday, the UN climate conference COP28 kicked off in Dubai. Though transport is not one of the main topics, railway sector organisations try their best to draw attention to rail as much as possible...Read more
Climate change adaptation
With multiple railways hit by flooding in the past weeks, it becomes more and more visible that extreme rainfall can have a devastating impact on railway infrastructure. What are rail infrastructure managers doing to prepare...Read more
After a storm and heavy rain caused a railway bridge on the Norwegian Dovre line to collapse last week, traffic on that route has come to a standstill. Therefore, operator SJ diverted its traffic via...Read more
Passengers and freight face increasing delays and disruption if Britain’s electric railways are not adapted to climate change, a new report by electrified rail experts of Furrer+Frey warns. It identified the potential threats as well...Read more
More than 350 people, 60 vehicles and 21 contractors have been deployed by Italian railway manager RFI to restore the damaged infrastructure after flooding that hit the Emilia – Romagna region this month. At the...Read more
A limited timetable is in effect on the West of England Main Line from Friday 2 September until October due to the so-called Soil Moisture Deficit (SMD). As a result of the recent heatwave and...Read more
A Renfe medium-distance train got caught in a forest fire near Bejís in the Spanish province of Castellón earlier on Wednesday, resulting in a panic among passengers and at least 20 injuries.Read more
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has warned Londoners to expect the worst if this week’s weather forecast is accurate. The South East of England is on alert for severe thunderstorms and heavy rain, after...Read more
Heatwaves with record-breaking temperatures made their impact on European railways in June and July this year, and it probably won’t be the last time. Are railways ready to cope with increasingly hot temperatures, and what...Read more
European labour unions have called upon the European Commission to introduce a maximum temperature for outside work, which would include trackside work. RailTech’s Dutch sister publication SpoorPro spoke to local unions and contractors to see...Read more
Following this week’s unprecedented heatwave, Network Rail is gearing up its efforts to make the UK network more resilient by launching a special taskforce for hot weather. “We’ve got to pull out all the stops...Read more
This week’s heatwave has put pressure on UK infrastructure like never before. The unprecedented closure of the East Coast Main Line, in the face of temperatures more akin to Spain than Stevenage, was the headline...Read more
While the railway companies, operators, infrastructure managers and stakeholders are doing their part in combatting climate change and adapting to extreme weather, the combined effort falls short of what is required. Furthermore, the level of...Read more
Adif has begun work on the construction of a new breakwater along the Barcelona-Mataró-Maçanet-Massanes line, the famous coastal railway that is at increased risk of extreme weather conditions brought on climate change.Read more