This is Lincolnshire -- Following a train buckling on the tracks at Waterloo this week, Network Rail in Lincolnshire has made preparations to prevent a similar incident in the county. They have used hydraulic machines to artificially stress the rails to cope with high temperatures. They then monitor the heat of the rails - particularly hotspots - and have plans in place to maintain the safety of the railway. Speed restrictions are imposed on the line when the rails heat excessively. This as a safety precaution but they try to limit disruption to the network where possible. So far the heat in Lincolnshire hasn't risen as high as the temperature which caused the buckle at Waterloo but Network Rail will continue to monitor the railways across the network and keep them safe. A Network Rail spokesperson said: "As with all metals, the steel which makes up our tracks expands and contracts depending on its temperature. "The hotter it gets, the more it expands and just like a road or pavement on a warm day, the metal can reach temperatures far in excess of the surrounding air temperature. "While we carry out a significant amount of work to prepare for the impact of hot weather by using hydraulic machines to artificially stress the rails to cope with high temperatures, we have seen temperatures on our tracks of almost 50 degrees centigrade this week. "The network in general has coped well, however the ageing condition of our infrastructure in some places means that, despite this preparation work, we have had to impose speed restrictions at certain locations to prevent damage to the track. "These speed restrictions take into account changed driving conditions, similar to the limits put in place on roads across the country when conditions change."
Reported by This is 11 hours ago.
This is Lincolnshire -- Following a train buckling on the tracks at Waterloo this week, Network Rail in Lincolnshire has made preparations to prevent a similar incident in the county. They have used hydraulic machines to artificially stress the rails to cope with high temperatures. They then monitor the heat of the rails - particularly hotspots - and have plans in place to maintain the safety of the railway. Speed restrictions are imposed on the line when the rails heat excessively. This as a safety precaution but they try to limit disruption to the network where possible. So far the heat in Lincolnshire hasn't risen as high as the temperature which caused the buckle at Waterloo but Network Rail will continue to monitor the railways across the network and keep them safe. A Network Rail spokesperson said: "As with all metals, the steel which makes up our tracks expands and contracts depending on its temperature. "The hotter it gets, the more it expands and just like a road or pavement on a warm day, the metal can reach temperatures far in excess of the surrounding air temperature. "While we carry out a significant amount of work to prepare for the impact of hot weather by using hydraulic machines to artificially stress the rails to cope with high temperatures, we have seen temperatures on our tracks of almost 50 degrees centigrade this week. "The network in general has coped well, however the ageing condition of our infrastructure in some places means that, despite this preparation work, we have had to impose speed restrictions at certain locations to prevent damage to the track. "These speed restrictions take into account changed driving conditions, similar to the limits put in place on roads across the country when conditions change."
Reported by This is 11 hours ago.