How data improves rail safety during extreme weather

Last week, it was reported that local weather stations had been installed on existing GSM-R railway communication masts on Network Rail’s Wales and Borders route, which has historically been hit hard by extreme weather. It was notably affected by 25 named storms in less than three years, with each causing major disruption and costing £179,000. The weather stations will give teams access to more accurate, real-time data, which (in theory) will improve decision-making and prevent the financial and performance impacts of previous years.

The project has been delivered at a time when extreme weather of all varieties is predicted to be the new normal. As storms grow stronger, and days become hotter, the focus has from reactive response to improved preparedness built on real-time data.

Extreme weather is on the rise

According to the Met Office, there’s an increased likelihood of wetter and stormier than average conditions across the UK this year, from late autumn and into early winter. This is due to the super El Niño that’s been developing in the Pacific Ocean. This ‘unprecedented’ event is currently pushing weather to extremes on a global scale, and is set to persist many months into 2027. But the rail industry must brace itself for more than gale force winds and flooding.

After Britain experienced its hottest summer on record – with five heatwaves and temperatures reaching more than 38°C in parts of the country – we’ve seen how extreme heat put’s pressure on rail services, frontline staff, and rail infrastructure.

Steel can reach up to 20°C higher than air temperature. And in temperatures like those we experienced just a couple of months ago, track is liable to buckle, in which case it’s no longer safe for a train to travel over as it can lead to derailment. Signal failures can also occur due to overheating, reducing visibility and creating blind spots that put passengers and crew at risk.

Amidst the ongoing climate crisis, all fingers point to this year’s temperatures becoming standard for a UK summer going forward, so the rail industry must work together to protect rail infrastructure and mitigate risk.

Safety in extreme weather needs real-time data

With severe weather likely to become a ‘new normal’, data clarity, visibility, and accuracy is crucial to ensure decisions are made based on the most up-to-date and reliable information. For rail control teams and train operating companies (TOCs), maintaining complete, real-time visibility makes the difference between proactively managing a disruption and reacting to a safety crisis.

When control rooms utilise real-time monitoring tools and automation, risks and incidents such as can be addressed as they occur, rather than investigated after (or worse, missed). Tools like Sirocco ensure complete visibility of operations, with intelligent modules purpose-built for specific scenarios such as extreme weather and blanket speed restrictions (BSRs). Sirocco allows control teams to monitor services in real-time, and receive automated alerts for things like overspeeding to make sure risks to safety don’t go under the radar.

Read more: Control teams can now monitor blanket speed restrictions in real time

Additionally, TOCs should look to establish a single source of truth; ensuring that systems used by controllers, drivers, station staff, and passengers run on the same operational data. This prevents conflicting information during chaotic weather disruptions.

Improve safety using data

When you run on real-time data, you can proactively manage risk, rather than react to it. We develop bespoke systems for TOCs and the wider rail industry to improve decision-making, mitigate risk, and increase performance.

Get in touch to learn more about how we work with clients including SWR and GWR to create a safer, smarter railway.