Rail company urges to only travel if ‘essential’ as heatwave expands across UK

One train company warned customers to travel “only if essential” after the UK entered its third heatwave in as many months on Monday, with temperatures expected to climb to the mid-30s in some areas later this week, according to the Met Office.

East Midlands Railway (EMR) said customers should try to travel before 12pm this week to avoid the highest temperatures, expect disruption on the network and check for timetable changes before travelling.

The company said regional services between Nottingham and Worksop, and Nottingham and Leicester, will be suspended from 12pm on Wednesday, to reduce the impact of the extreme temperatures on the railway.

EMR added some other services are set to operate at reduced speeds for safety reasons.

High temperatures can cause rails to buckle, overhead electric wires to sag and lineside fires, while steel rails can exceed 50C when the air temperature is 30C.

Philippa Cresswell, customer experience director at EMR, said: “The hot weather means we’ll need to make some temporary changes to our services to keep the railway operating safely.

“If you do need to travel and the journey is essential, we’d recommend travelling before midday and checking your journey before setting off.

“We appreciate these changes may inconvenience some customers and we’d like to thank everyone for their patience and understanding while we work to keep people moving safely.”

EMR said its plans for Thursday and Friday are still under review, and customers wishing to travel on these days should check for updates before they travel.

South-east England officially met the heatwave criteria on Monday evening, after three days of temperatures above 28C, the Met Office said.

Temperatures are set to continue to rise across the UK throughout the week, and more regions are likely to reach their local heatwave thresholds, the forecaster added.

Parts of southern England could see temperature highs of about 33C on Wednesday and 34C on Thursday, with the highest readings of 35C forecast for isolated areas on Friday and Saturday.

While southern areas are already feeling the sun and the heat, a north-south divide will persist through the first half of the week, according to the forecaster.

Scotland should see stronger winds and outbreaks of rain on Tuesday evening, with temperatures remaining generally closer to the average for this time of the year.

But, by the weekend, the warm air is forecast to reach northern parts of the UK, and conditions are set to become increasingly humid, with a growing risk of showers or isolated thunderstorms.

Great Western Railway (GWR) and Network Rail said in a joint statement that “customers can and should still travel as normal”, but added they should carry water, allow extra time for their journey and check for updates before setting off.

GWR and Network Rail performance director Daryn McCombe said: “We want to keep our customers safe during this next heatwave, which is why we are taking the precautionary step of amending a small number of services at the hottest times of day.

“We know this could be disruptive to a few people and we’re sorry for the inconvenience it will cause, but customer safety must come first.

“We’d encourage everyone planning to travel this week to check their journey beforehand.”

Amber heat health alerts have been issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) for the Midlands and southern England, from 9am on Wednesday until 9pm on Sunday.

This means significant impacts are likely across health and social care services due to the high temperatures, including a rise in deaths, particularly among those aged 65 and over or with health conditions.

Yellow heat health alerts have also been issued by the agency for Yorkshire and northern England, also between 9am on Wednesday and 9pm on Sunday.

The UKHSA said similar significant impacts are possible across these areas, and warned of a potential increase in water-related incidents across England, including risks from cold water shock and drowning.

The Met Office also warned England could experience “tropical nights” later this week, where temperatures will not fall below 20C.

The forecaster added UV levels are set to be high or very high across many parts of the UK throughout the week, reaching an index of eight across most of the south of England and Wales on Wednesday, and advised people to ensure they use sun protection.