A new partnership between the Met Office and Network Rail aims to improve how the rail network responds to extreme weather, helping build a more resilient transport system for the future.
The Met Office and Network Rail have signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding to accelerate research into how weather affects the UK’s railway network. The partnership is designed to speed up research and innovation, enabling faster responses to weather-related challenges and reducing disruption for passengers.
By combining the Met Office’s meteorological expertise with Network Rail’s knowledge of rail infrastructure, the collaboration will enhance forecasting capabilities and support the development of new approaches to managing weather impacts on the railway.
The partnership will help improve planning for extreme weather events including heatwaves, storms and flooding, all of which are becoming more frequent and intense as the climate changes. Better forecasting and preparation can help minimise disruptions, protect infrastructure and improve passenger safety and reliability.
As transport networks across Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly face increasing climate risks, initiatives such as this demonstrate the importance of collaboration between organisations to improve resilience and support long-term adaptation planning.
Read more on the Met Office website.
How Is This Helping DCIoS Adapt To Climate Change?
Action INFA 3: Develop a working group with infrastructure industry associations and providers at regional level to improve interdependencies awareness within the infrastructure sector.
Action INFX 1: Promote cross-sector partnerships to develop industry-accepted climate risk assessment frameworks for the region.
Action INFX 3: Encourage businesses to proactively review flood vulnerability of key sites and assets due to increased surface water risks.
