Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate he has made of the number of miles of rail track painted white in the last month for the purposes of mitigating heatwave conditions.

As part of Network Rail’s summer preparation work in 2022, some rails were painted white in order to absorb less heat, making them typically 5°C to 10°C cooler and so less liable to expand or buckle. Network Rail prioritises treating the busiest areas of the network, such as junctions and crossings, to minimise the impact that extreme heat has on passenger service and freight journeys.