Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment she has made of the resilience of Britain’s rail network to prolonged periods of dry weather, in the context of ongoing speed restrictions and service reductions on routes including the West of England line; and what steps her Department is taking to ensure (a) embankments and (b) track infrastructure are properly maintained to avoid repeated disruption to passengers.

The resilience of Britain’s rail network to severe weather is managed through Network Rail’s Control Period 7 regional weather resilience and climate change adaptation plans. Through the period we will invest £2.8 billion in improving the resilience of their assets to extreme weather (including dry weather) and in development of long-term climate change adaptation pathways.

Extended periods of dry weather made some clay embankments unstable on some rail routes including in Westen England. In this region the driest spring since 1836, followed by the driest summer in 200 years, resulted in a severe soil moisture deficit. To manage these conditions safely Network Rail worked with train operators, including South Western Railway, to implement speed restrictions and make some service alterations as a result. Network Rail and South Western Railway continue to monitor soil moisture levels, track conditions, and train performance, and provide regular updates to the Department. Services will be reinstated as soon as it is safe to do so.

Most railway embankments in western/southern England are built on clay soil, which normally contains moisture. However, heat radiation and moisture absorption by lineside vegetation and trees have removed much of this moisture. Temporary speed restrictions, which cause extended journey times, are one of the ways in which services can continue to run safely.