The UK experienced its summer’s highest temperature of 40.2C on Tuesday, according to the Met Office, as a heatwave swept the country and caused widespread travel disruption.
The temporary record at London Heathrow Airport at lunchtime eclipsed the previous all-time record of 38.7C, which was set in Cambridge in 2019. Forecasters warned that temperatures were expected to rise further during the day.
The record was set after Transport Secretary Grant Shapps warned it could take “decades” to make Britain’s transport system more resilient to extreme heatwaves.
On Tuesday, rail lines across England ran significantly reduced services with canceled services north of London as extreme heat overwhelmed infrastructure designed for a maximum temperature of 35C.
The Met Office also said the country likely experienced its warmest night on Monday, with temperatures reaching 25C in some areas, beating the previous record set in 1990 of 23.9C.
Bob Ward, director of policy and communications at the Grantham Institute for Climate Change and Environment Research, said the record temperature was “a harbinger of things to come” and that weakening net zero commitments now would pile up more pain for the future .
National Rail urged customers to only travel if “absolutely necessary” on Tuesday and warned of delays and last-minute timetable changes.
Transport for London, which runs the capital’s underground network, said journeys were down 30 per cent on a week ago as commuters heeded advice to stay at home.
All services running north to York on the East Coast Main Line from King’s Cross station in London have been cancelled. The concourse at the station, which normally handles 220,000 passengers a day, was deserted and departure boards showed long lines of canceled services.
Steel railroad tracks absorb heat and are prone to warping and sagging, increasing the risk of derailment. On Monday, some tracks reached 62C, according to Network Rail.
Luton Airport came to a standstill on Monday night with all flights canceled due to a heat-related runway defect.
Shapps told Sky News that infrastructure has taken decades to build, citing the example of millions of miles of roads where asphalt needs to be replaced. Councils this week put gritters on standby to spread sand on melting highways.
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He said the head of Network Rail advised him three years ago about the railway overhead lines, which were also prone to sagging in the heat.
“He told me about the new improved specifications that are being applied to the railways where they can withstand much higher temperature levels and we’re going to see that much more regularly,” Shapps added.
“We’ve seen the hottest days on record in the last 10 to 15 years. So we’ll see more of that. That’s a huge infrastructure to replace.”
The government’s emergency response group, Cobra, will not meet on Tuesday, but the matter will be discussed in cabinet.
Shapps also defended Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s decision to miss three recent emergency Cobra meetings because of the heat, despite finding time to ride in an RAF Typhoon fighter jet.
“There is a war going on in Europe. Why on earth didn’t he go and meet the RAF?” he said.
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