Should we paint our rails white for summer?

[ivorytoast28]

Over the past few weeks much of the network has been disrupted on and off due to the effects of heat

Given we're not exactly the warmest country in the world, it does raise the question of how others manage. Recently in Italy, I noticed all the lines were painted white. It was 37°c+ at times and I didn't see any trains being disrupted for heat related reasons

Are there other differences in how hotter countries manufacturer tracks or is the white paint the main reason? In which case, what would be the cost/benefits for us to do the same in the summer?

 

[McRhu]

Over the past few weeks much of the network has been disrupted on and off due to the effects of heat

Given we're not exactly the warmest country in the world, it does raise the question of how others manage. Recently in Italy, I noticed all the lines were painted white. It was 37°c+ at times and I didn't see any trains being disrupted for heat related reasons

Are there other differences in how hotter countries manufacturer tracks or is the white paint the main reason? In which case, what would be the cost/benefits for us to do the same in the summer?

We do - mainly pointwork I think.

 

[skyhigh]

Are there other differences in how hotter countries manufacturer tracks or is the white paint the main reason? In which case, what would be the cost/benefits for us to do the same in the summer?

I cannot remember the precise temperatures, however the rails here are stressed after installation for a certain temperature.

Warmer countries stress them for a higher temperature. That is the main difference.

The issue is that we have more of a range over a year, so if we stressed for a higher temperature we'd have issues in Winter with lower temperatures causing damage instead.

Critical areas already have white paint, but it doesn't solve everything.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 12 Jul 2025 ==

See also -

High Track Temperature

Sat at Southampton Airport Parkway awaiting a train into the city and the next train is delayed about 10mins due to "high track temperature". Notwithstanding it isn't actually hot, and has been raining, how is this determination made? How and where is track temperature monitored?

www.railforums.co.uk

 

[Sorcerer]

Based on what I've quickly looked up since this kind of rail engineering is also something of interest to me, I believe heat by itself isn't what makes the rails buckle but rather the rails themselves not being engineered to be able to cope with temperatures beyond the temperature range it was engineered for.

Systems such as the Dubai Metro and Delhi Metro probably couldn't manage in a typical UK winter since they're built for hot climates with temperatures very rarely dropping below double digits, especially in Dubai where their overnight temperatures are as hot and humid as our worst heatwaves during the day.

As for the original question, maybe we could start painting rails white in summer at least until we can possibly modernise them to withstand more modern temperature ranges, because whether we like it or not we are going to see more hot weather in future, and in fact I wouldn't be surprised if London's climate was reclassified as Mediterranean rather than oceanic in a few years time.

 

[furnessvale]

I don't believe the UK has anything like the large winter/summer temperature range suffered by other countries.

A quick google search shows the maximum range ever recorded in Wyoming to be +47c in summer to -54c in winter.

 

[hexagon789]

I don't believe the UK has anything like the large winter/summer temperature range suffered by other countries.

A quick google search shows the maximum range ever recorded in Wyoming to be +47c in summer to -54c in winter.

But put up with far more rails bucking than would be acceptable here as well.

I'm not sure if the US does it, but in Russia where there can be equally massive swings in temperature they often re-stress the rails for different Stress Free Temperatures at different times of year.

You might find these previous threads interesting reading:

High Track Temperature

Sat at Southampton Airport Parkway awaiting a train into the city and the next train is delayed about 10mins due to "high track temperature". Notwithstanding it isn't actually hot, and has been raining, how is this determination made? How and where is track temperature monitored?

www.railforums.co.uk

In particular these two posts by @Bald Rick :

If tracks buckle

If railway tracks buckle in the heat does this mean: 1 Trains cannot use them at all, or they can use them at much reduced speed 2 The tracks need to be replaced to repair them, or they can be left until temperatures drop back down and they will straighten 3 How do hotter countries cope with...

www.railforums.co.uk

If tracks buckle

If railway tracks buckle in the heat does this mean: 1 Trains cannot use them at all, or they can use them at much reduced speed 2 The tracks need to be replaced to repair them, or they can be left until temperatures drop back down and they will straighten 3 How do hotter countries cope with...

www.railforums.co.uk

 

[Tilting007]

This comes up every year.

We use a stress-free temperature of 27. I believe HS1 is slightly higher at 28 or 29, if someone who knows can confirm?

This gives a fairly sizeable temperature range; if the track is fully stressed and undisturbed, there are no issues.

Painting rails white is to reflect the heat, but does not suddenly stress any CWR with a low SFT or magically consolidate ballast after tamping.

What is suggesting all the issues the past few days are just the heat? There seems to have been a fairly broad range of issues and not a great deal are purely weather related, looking at Control logs from around the country and not many heat-related ESRs on the mainline.

The Railway is a massive infrastructure and the impact of heat, and any other type of weather, is well understood by the people maintaining and operating the railway.

If there was a benefit to having white rails, we would have. As there is less S&C on wooden bearers or unstrengthened S&C on mainlines, the benefits are not worth the cost or time as the track is constructed to withstand heat. If the SFT needs raised, it will be.

Most buckles are caused by disturbed track or where there are geometry defects present, such as voiding. It is rarely just hot rails…

 

[Bald Rick]

We use a stress free temperature of 27. I believe HS1 is slightly higher at 28 or 29, if someone who knows can confirm?

Also 27C AIUI.

If track is fully stressed and undisturbed there are no issues.

Up to a rail temperature of 59C. Which equates to rails in direct unshaded sunlight in May/June/July with an air temperature of 41C.

Also thanks to @hexagon789 - I’d forgotten I’d written those. I sense an explainer to be published more widely…

It is quite noticeable that the number of heat speeds on this year is lower than has been the case in prefious ‘heatwave’ years.

 

[Pete_uk]

Sure some either around Gloucester and or Standish Jn are painted

 

[Russel]

Network Rail don't have the resources or cash to cut bushes back resulting in drivers reporting signals being obscured and viaducts, bridges, station buildings and retaining walls are being destroyed from the inside out by the roots of the vegetation that has been allowed to spread uncontrolled year after year...

On that basis, I think painting long stretches of rails white is a bit too much to ask.