Network Rail is looking to recruit an extra 400 engineers to combat the effects of climate change. It will also convert existing employees into ‘amateur meteorologists’ with the help of a new ‘weather academy’.
The new engineers will be tasked with improving drainage to protect rail infrastructure from heavy rainfall. This past winter has produced record amounts of precipitation but under most climate models, the impact of global warming will be felt as much in increased storm intensity as it will hot and dry conditions.
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Network Rail said more than 600,000 metres of drains would be built or rebuilt, or redesigned to reduce flooding with at least 20,000 cuttings and embankments in need of attention.
New technology will play a key part in the strategy with the installation of sensors and CCTV at critical points to gauge the likelihood of landslips and flooding.
The academy will help staff to interpret weather forecasts to make better decisions during storms or heatwaves.
Workers will be trained at the academy, which is a collaboration between Newcastle University, the Met Office, and MetDesk, a private weather forecasting firm.
A spokesman added: “By training with actual meteorologists, our people will be better placed to make positive decisions when there is extreme weather, from speed restrictions to – in extreme circumstances – closing lines.”
The employees will “become more informed and well-rounded decision makers”, the spokesman said.
Network Rail said the entire rail improvement scheme, which was vital to safety, would cost £45bn.
The organisation’s chief executive, Andrew Haines, said climate change was “the biggest challenge our railway faces”.
He added: “The extreme weather of the past year that has seen an unprecedented 14 named storms has taken its toll on our railway – with experts predicting more of the same to come.
“Train performance has been suffering and the industry must come together and make this, and tackling climate change, our main focus.
“Our role is to deliver a safe railway that people can rely on, whatever the weather, with trains that turn up and arrive at their destination on time, and where passengers have confidence they are in safe hands. This is what we must deliver daily and what we should, and will, be held to account for.”
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Overall, the amount of money being invested in the railways over the next five years represents a £200 million cut. Bruce Williamson from campaign group Railfuture said a reliable railway would come from “regular, long-term investment to a high standard”.
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