By Train
Trains when it snows are notorious for delays
and cancelled services, so always check timetables before leaving
the house. Below are some reasons why this happens and
what they are doing to remedy the problem for the future.
- Falling snow and sleet reduces sighting distances for lineside
signs and level-crossing warning lights; cold weather can cause
points to freeze if point heaters have not been installed or are not
working; insulated joints are prone to cracking or failure; snow can
become compressed by the passage of trains to form ice which can
affect braking mechanisms and cause station overruns etc.
- Extreme winter weather can have a major impact on
punctuality and lead to severe disruption for passengers.
Thorough preparation, including an understanding of the problems and
the processes by which we deal with each type of weather, is
essential to the minimisation of delays.
Ice can form on overhead wires or the third rail and act as an
insulator to prevent trains drawing power (particular problem in the
south).
- Icicles can form within tunnels and under bridges, which can
cause severe damage to overhead wires and vehicles (smashing
windscreens etc) and present a safety hazard
- Snow can pose a threat to the railway if it sticks and obscures
both sleepers and ballast, continues to fall outside normal working
hours or is propelled by wind (particular problem in Scotland).
Half an inch of snow will cause points without heaters to fail and
switch heaters can be overwhelmed if the snow reaches rail level.
If snow reaches a depth of 300mm (12”), trains cannot run unless
fitted with miniature snowploughs.
- Snow falling on lineside vegetation can add additional weight
which may cause branches to break and fall onto the track or
overhead wires. Cliff faces and cuttings are also susceptible to
slipping.
Rapid thawing of snow or rain can cause major flooding.
What is being done to help ensure trains do run
during times of cold weather and snow?
- Weather forecasts / snow warnings – The Met Office provides
Network Rail with a dedicated website to monitor the weather
situation in real time and Network Rail control centres have the
facility to speak to a Met Office on-call forecaster 24 hours a day.
- Emergency timetable - contingency plans for severe
disruption are agreed in advance with train operators. This is the
responsibility of Operational Planning Managers, who produce the
revised timetables and ensure that these are communicated to all
concerned.
- Point heaters – Gas Point Heaters & Electric Point Heaters
prevent points from freezing and are automatically lit / switched on
when rail temperatures fall below a preset level.
Anti-icing spray - to prevent the formation of ice from compressed
snow
‘Magic Ice Stop’ spray – contains anti-icer and de-icer to break
down formed ice and prevent it re-forming
- Snow fences – in certain key locations that regularly suffer the
effects of snow, snow fences can be installed to prevent snow
drifting onto the tracks.
- Snow clearing – a variety of equipment is available to clear
snow when it reaches a depth of 6 inches or more and is moved around
the railway network as and when it is needed. NR control
centres keep a record of these locations.
- Miniature snowploughs which fit on the front of trains for
smaller volumes of snow
- Beilhack snow ploughs which fit to individual locomotives and
can clear up to 6 feet of snow (10 in use last year)
- independent drift ploughs which are used for more than 6 feet of
snow (21 in use last year)
- On Friday 18 December, five Eurostar trains broke down in the
Channel Tunnel. The breakdowns were due to extreme weather in
Northern France, which resulted in snow getting into the power cars,
causing condensation to build up onto electronic equipment. An extra
£18 million will be invested to improve the resilience of the
Eurostar trains in severe weather so it never happens again.
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