Passengers


on
the
Brighton
Main
Line
may
face
cancellations
and
delays
today
and
tomorrow,
because
of
the
high
temperatures.

The
maximum
in
Croydon
is
forecast
to
be
31C
today
and
slightly
hotter
tomorrow,
and
inland
towns
in
West
Sussex
are
likely
to
be
almost
as
warm.

Network
Rail
has
imposed
speed
restrictions
because
the
internal
temperature
of
the
rails
could
be
20C
hotter
than
the
air.

Rails
in
Britain
are
pre-stressed
to
a
rail
temperature
of
27C,
which
usually
works
well
in
our
climate,
but
the
force
of
trains
weighing
several
hundred
tonnes
is
made
more
extreme
when
temperatures
are
very
high.
One
way
of
reducing
that
force
is
to
run
at
lower
speeds.

Network
Rail
said:
‘With
temperatures
set
to
soar
as
forecast
by
the
Met
Office,
speed
restrictions
have
to
be
imposed
across
large
parts
of
the
network
to
ensure
everyone’s
safety.

‘We’re
sorry
but
this
means
we
won’t
be
able
to
run
as
many
trains
as
normal
and
journeys
will
take
longer.
Trains
that
are
running
will
also
be
much
busier.
If
you
are
able
to
work
from
home
then
that
may
be
your
best
option.’








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