Met Office says highest temperature ever recorded was 38.7C (101.6F) in Cambridge on July 15, 2019
London – Timber beams on rail lines set on fire while 20mph speed restrictions were imposed on others to avoid tracks buckling as the heatwave brought travel chaos to Britain on what is set to be the hottest day of the year so far.
The blaze on a bridge in Battersea, South London, saw services between Victoria and Brixton suspended this morning – while Network Rail warned of trains having to run slower elsewhere due to high track temperatures.
Among the first services to be impacted were West Midlands Trains routes between Stratford-upon-Avon, Leamington Spa and Kidderminster where speeds were cut to 20mph from the normal 60mph until 8pm tonight.
But the issues could spread, because specialist weather teams are monitoring key hotspot locations this week and may enforce restrictions to reduce the risk of buckling because slower trains exert less force on the track.
The blaze in Battersea happened when wheel timbers on the bridge caught fire – with Network Rail saying they are ‘very dry’ amid the lack of rain and ‘although we don’t know for sure, it’s possible a stray spark set them alight’.
In addition to the heat, there were delays today between Peterborough and Grantham due to a broken-down freight train; Reading and Basingstoke due to a points failure; Bromley South and Rochester due to a signalling fault; Wolverhampton and Stafford due to overhead wire damage; and Yeovil and Exeter due to a signals issue.
The Met Office warned people to take care with cigarette butts and barbecues because the ‘ground is tinder dry at the moment’ and there was a huge wildfire on Ministry of Defence land at Salisbury Plain. Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service said it had been ‘advised by the military’ of the fire ‘within the impact area near Urchfont’.
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