Travellers facing disruption in the Border region as 'heatwave will cause rail delays'

Commuters in the North West are being warned the expected heatwave will lead to delayed trains.

The message from Network Rail comes as the Met Office has issued a red heat weather warning for the first time ever, with temperatures reaching up to 30C across the ITV Border region in the week beginning Monday 18 July.

Rail passengers in the North West are being advised to plan ahead, with heatwave conditions expected to impact journeys.

Ahead of the hot weather, Network Rail say their Extreme Weather Action teams (EWATs) are preparing to keep passengers and freight safely on the move.

Train operator Avanti West Coast is facing further issues due to a high rate of staff sickness meaning cancellations and delays are likely.

The company is urging people to build in extra time for journeys.

Passengers are being urged to regularly check National Rail Enquiries at www.nationalrail.co.uk before they set off on their journey.

The disruption comes ahead of further strike action by members of the RMT union later this month.

Phil James, Network Rail's North West Route Director, said: “Keeping passengers moving is always our top priority. But we want people to be prepared. If the soaring temperatures do lead to us having to put in place slower speeds for safety reasons, please bear with us our engineers work to fix the problem. It may mean some journeys take longer.

"For those who must travel by rail, we’d remind people to carry some water with them so they can stay hydrated, and always check before travelling so they know exactly what to expect."

Hot weather, particularly direct sunlight, can cause track temperatures to reach more than 50C.

When steel becomes very hot it expands and rails can bend, flex and, in serious cases, buckle.

To prevent this from happening, some sections of rail are painted white to reflect the sun's rays and stop the steel from getting too hot.

Trains also run at slower speeds to put less strain on the rails.

The network of 25,000-volt overhead electric cables which power trains is also susceptible to high temperatures, say Network Rail.

They can cause the steel wires to overheat and then hang too low - getting caught on passing trains and knocking out their electricity supply.

Last year, a system of 60 solar-powered weather stations were also installed to monitor extreme conditions in real time, with the aim of keeping trains moving instead of imposing region-wide speed limits.

For more information on how Network Rail deals with the hot weather visit www.networkrail.co.uk/how-we-prevent-tracks-from-getting-too-hot/.