| Got to get the train to London in a couple of hours and half the trains... 09:54 - Jun 19 with 5215 views | ITFC_Forever |
...are cancelled due to the heat.
To ask a stupid question, why do UK tracks get affected by this and not tracks in other countries where they have a similar climate??? [Post edited 19 Jun 2017 9:54]
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| Got to get the train to London in a couple of hours and half the trains... on 09:55 - Jun 19 with 5192 views | BlueBadger |
Because other countries actually give a toss about running and maintaining theirs properly rather than farming them out to the Efficient Private Sector? |  |
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| Got to get the train to London in a couple of hours and half the trains... on 09:56 - Jun 19 with 5183 views | StokieBlue |
| Got to get the train to London in a couple of hours and half the trains... on 09:55 - Jun 19 by BlueBadger |
Because other countries actually give a toss about running and maintaining theirs properly rather than farming them out to the Efficient Private Sector? |
National Rail, responsible for the tracks, is still nationalised....
SB |  |
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| Got to get the train to London in a couple of hours and half the trains... on 10:00 - Jun 19 with 5156 views | Axeldalai_lama |
I would guess it's more a case of playing the percentages, the same reason when it snows loads everything grinds to a hault. We could spend billions to cater for an eventaulity that doesn't happen very often or just muddle along and save some money. |  | | |
| Got to get the train to London in a couple of hours and half the trains... on 10:00 - Jun 19 with 5148 views | usm |
Because of Thatcher |  |
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| Got to get the train to London in a couple of hours and half the trains... on 10:00 - Jun 19 with 5156 views | BlueBadger |
| Got to get the train to London in a couple of hours and half the trains... on 09:56 - Jun 19 by StokieBlue |
National Rail, responsible for the tracks, is still nationalised....
SB |
Note to Christainsand: this is the correct response to when you're called out for talking boll0cks. | |
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| Got to get the train to London in a couple of hours and half the trains... on 10:06 - Jun 19 with 5121 views | tcblue |
It does happen in other countries, the UK does have a few things which make it more of an issue in combination though:
Broadly more commuters (more trains) per track than most
An older network than most
More people complaining than most |  | | |
| Got to get the train to London in a couple of hours and half the trains... on 10:09 - Jun 19 with 5099 views | WD19 |
There must be a technical explanation somewhere.
In the UK it is because when steel heats too much the risk of buckling becomes too great when trains pass over too fast. The same problem must exist in southern Europe on the high speed lines........so would be interested to understand what they do different. |  | | |
| Got to get the train to London in a couple of hours and half the trains... on 10:12 - Jun 19 with 5083 views | chicoazul |
Other countries do get affected by the weather.
Isnt it the overhead lines and the electric supply that gets affected by heat though rather than the physical track? |  |
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| Got to get the train to London in a couple of hours and half the trains... on 10:21 - Jun 19 with 5036 views | ITFC_Forever |
| Got to get the train to London in a couple of hours and half the trains... on 10:12 - Jun 19 by chicoazul |
Other countries do get affected by the weather.
Isnt it the overhead lines and the electric supply that gets affected by heat though rather than the physical track? |
According to Abellio, it's both..... the track can buckle and the overhead lines can sag. | |
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| Got to get the train to London in a couple of hours and half the trains... on 10:24 - Jun 19 with 5019 views | sibrespace |
I think you'll find that the laws of physics apply to all countries and their railways. We just like to blame people for anything and everything.
Rails are prestressed to take account of the normal temperature ranges experienced in the local climate. Hotter countries have a different normal range of temperatures, so they are prestressed accordingly. The problems come when extraordinary temperatures for that local climate are experienced.
Most of the expansion forces are absorbed by the fastenings from the rail to the sleepers, but there is a limit. Beyond that limit, the rails will try to move laterally, i.e. buckle, which presents a threat of derailment unless speed restrictions are introduced.
If trains are travelling more slowly, the line capacity is reduced which is why timetabled trains get cancelled. | | | |
| Got to get the train to London in a couple of hours and half the trains... on 10:29 - Jun 19 with 4985 views | ITFC_Forever |
| Got to get the train to London in a couple of hours and half the trains... on 10:24 - Jun 19 by sibrespace |
I think you'll find that the laws of physics apply to all countries and their railways. We just like to blame people for anything and everything.
Rails are prestressed to take account of the normal temperature ranges experienced in the local climate. Hotter countries have a different normal range of temperatures, so they are prestressed accordingly. The problems come when extraordinary temperatures for that local climate are experienced.
Most of the expansion forces are absorbed by the fastenings from the rail to the sleepers, but there is a limit. Beyond that limit, the rails will try to move laterally, i.e. buckle, which presents a threat of derailment unless speed restrictions are introduced.
If trains are travelling more slowly, the line capacity is reduced which is why timetabled trains get cancelled. |
I get that to a point - but don't countries in mainland Europe have a greater range of temperatures than us? | |
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| Got to get the train to London in a couple of hours and half the trains... on 10:32 - Jun 19 with 4961 views | Lesta_Tractor |
Tracks in other countries are affected by the weather, speed limits on all tracks are reduced when it's 35c+ in Melbourne.
http://www.metrotrains.com.au/hot-weather/ |  |
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| Got to get the train to London in a couple of hours and half the trains... on 11:12 - Jun 19 with 4853 views | EJP |
Physics aside, it's worth noting C2C haven't followed suit. Nor, the last time I looked TFLRail who use the same track as Greater Anglia! |  | | |
| Got to get the train to London in a couple of hours and half the trains... on 11:29 - Jun 19 with 4814 views | No9 |
| Got to get the train to London in a couple of hours and half the trains... on 09:56 - Jun 19 by StokieBlue |
National Rail, responsible for the tracks, is still nationalised....
SB |
Yep & starved of the money necessary to do the works required.
Did you see the BBC2 programme last week?
You do realise what is going on don't you?
£ Billions leave the country untaxed - what was it the German Minster said about the UK government funding DB?
Last year the taxpayer handed over £4 bn to rail companies while railltrack has no cash - you can work it out for yourself | | | |
| Got to get the train to London in a couple of hours and half the trains... on 11:39 - Jun 19 with 4773 views | BergholtBru |
Worryingly, it`s not actually THAT hot. It can and quite likely will get hotter later in the summer( which has not actually even started yet). If the tracks can`t take this then we are fcuked! |  |
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| Got to get the train to London in a couple of hours and half the trains... on 12:34 - Jun 19 with 4672 views | Freddies_Ears |
| Got to get the train to London in a couple of hours and half the trains... on 10:29 - Jun 19 by ITFC_Forever |
I get that to a point - but don't countries in mainland Europe have a greater range of temperatures than us? |
They do. The Alpine regions don't seem to have a problem with a temperature range from minus 10 to plus 35. No frozen points and no heat damage.
Maybe we just do it on the cheap, like so much else. Not just rail, our road surfaces are terrible compared with most other developed countries. | | | |
| Got to get the train to London in a couple of hours and half the trains... on 13:10 - Jun 19 with 4604 views | tcblue |
| Got to get the train to London in a couple of hours and half the trains... on 12:34 - Jun 19 by Freddies_Ears |
They do. The Alpine regions don't seem to have a problem with a temperature range from minus 10 to plus 35. No frozen points and no heat damage.
Maybe we just do it on the cheap, like so much else. Not just rail, our road surfaces are terrible compared with most other developed countries. |
Can't comment on their reliability, but surely the alpine regions have nowhere near as much traffic as a mainline into London? We don't often have "all trains are cancelled due to heat", more some trains cancelled as hot rails get hotter the more trains which go over it, and the more out of shape they can get. | | | |
| Got to get the train to London in a couple of hours and half the trains... on 13:15 - Jun 19 with 4579 views | No9 |
| Got to get the train to London in a couple of hours and half the trains... on 13:10 - Jun 19 by tcblue |
Can't comment on their reliability, but surely the alpine regions have nowhere near as much traffic as a mainline into London? We don't often have "all trains are cancelled due to heat", more some trains cancelled as hot rails get hotter the more trains which go over it, and the more out of shape they can get. |
It does seem to be a modern thing, it was rare in the past.
In the 50's we used to go to the railways in the evening to hear the rails click as the sun went down and the steel contracted. | | | |
| Got to get the train to London in a couple of hours and half the trains... on 13:18 - Jun 19 with 4565 views | Throbbe |
| Got to get the train to London in a couple of hours and half the trains... on 12:34 - Jun 19 by Freddies_Ears |
They do. The Alpine regions don't seem to have a problem with a temperature range from minus 10 to plus 35. No frozen points and no heat damage.
Maybe we just do it on the cheap, like so much else. Not just rail, our road surfaces are terrible compared with most other developed countries. |
I believe they incorporate heating, certainly the points.
Again, the consideration being that is worth it if you are going to regularly experience those conditions, but not so much in the UK. |  |
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| Got to get the train to London in a couple of hours and half the trains... on 13:22 - Jun 19 with 4552 views | tcblue |
| Got to get the train to London in a couple of hours and half the trains... on 13:15 - Jun 19 by No9 |
It does seem to be a modern thing, it was rare in the past.
In the 50's we used to go to the railways in the evening to hear the rails click as the sun went down and the steel contracted. |
I suspect Stephenson's Rocket only went through once a day though? | | | |
| Got to get the train to London in a couple of hours and half the trains... on 13:45 - Jun 19 with 4504 views | No9 |
| Got to get the train to London in a couple of hours and half the trains... on 13:22 - Jun 19 by tcblue |
I suspect Stephenson's Rocket only went through once a day though? |
I am old but not that old.
The railways used to be good & operated one of the most extensive networks in Europe.
But you need politicians who want the railways to work, not those who say they do.
Catch the programme from lat week on BBC 2 - it should still be on Iplayer = how much you are giving to foreign governments | | | |
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