Tracks to be painted white to prevent overheating

When a track overheats, it expands and buckles, which can make it unsafe for trains to operate. Network Rail says

Some railway lines in south-east England are to be painted white to prevent them from overheating ahead of the summer, Network Rail says.

The company said that by painting some of the rails white it can reduce their temperature by up to 10 degrees.

When a track overheats it expands and buckles, and can make it unsafe for trains to operate, Network Rail says.

Between April 2023 and March 2024 buckled rails meant there were over 92,000 minutes of delays and a total of 647 services were cancelled, the rail body said.

Two sections of track in Network Rail's southern region were in the top three across the country for heated rail incidents that caused disruption to trains.

Buckled rails in Earlswood, Surrey were affected 2,275 trains, while Sevenoaks on the Kent route had 2,144 trains affected.

Lisa Angus, Network Rail's industry weather response director, said: "Soaring temperatures on the railway can put a huge amount of pressure on our infrastructure.

"With extreme weather events becoming more frequent we're working hard to keep passengers moving through the summer months ahead."