Shapps warns of ‘decades’ to prepare UK transport for extreme heat

Transport secretary Grant Shapps on Tuesday warned that it could take “decades” to make Britain’s transport system more resilient to extreme heatwaves, as parts of central and southeastern England braced themselves for record temperatures of 40C.

The railways across England ran significantly reduced services on Tuesday, with cancellations on lines running north of London as the extreme heat overwhelmed infrastructure designed for a maximum temperature of 35C. 

Forecasters predict record-breaking temperatures on Tuesday, eclipsing the all-time high of 38.7C, set in 2019. The Met Office, Britain’s national weather and climate service, said temperatures had by 9am already exceeded 32C at Kew Gardens and Heathrow airport in London.

It added that the country had probably experienced its warmest-ever night on Monday, with temperatures as high as 25C in some areas, which beat the previous record set in 1990 of 23.9C. 

National Rail warned customers to travel only if “absolutely necessary” on Tuesday and warned of delays and last-minute timetable changes.

All services running north to York on the East Coast Mainline from London’s King’s Cross station were cancelled. The station concourse, which handles 220,000 passengers a day normally, was deserted, with departure boards showing long rows of cancelled services.

Steel railway tracks absorb heat and are prone to buckling and sagging, increasing the risk of derailments. On Monday, some tracks reached 62C, according to Network Rail.

Luton airport ground to a halt on Monday night, cancelling all flights because of a heat-related defect on its runway.

Shapps told Sky News that infrastructure took decades to build, citing the example of millions of miles of roads where tarmac would need replacing. Councils have this week put gritters on standby to spread sand on melting highways.

He said the head of Network Rail had advised him three years ago about overhead lines on railways, which also tend to sag in the heat.

“He talked me through the new upgraded specifications which are going on to the railway lines, where they can stand much higher levels of temperature and we’re going to see this a lot more regularly,” said Shapps.

“We know that — we’ve seen the hottest days ever recorded have come in the last 10 to 15 years. So we’re going to see this more. It’s a huge infrastructure to replace,” he added.

The government’s emergency situations group, Cobra, will not meet on Tuesday but the issue will be discussed at cabinet.

Shapps also defended prime minister Boris Johnson’s decision to miss three recent emergency Cobra meetings on the heatwave, despite finding time to take a ride in an RAF Typhoon fighter jet.

“There is a war going on in Europe. Why on earth would he not go and meet with the RAF?” he said.