Tomorrow's Railway and Climate Change Adaptation Final Report

Research and Development Programme. This needs to be done at both policy and
delivery levels.
At policy level, the Construction Industry Council is currently leading a cross-institutional
response to the recent floods. Opportunities exist for the rail industry to influence the
outcome of this review via input through the Institution of Civil Engineers, CIRIA, CIWEM
and other bodies. At delivery level, an Environment Agency-led study into local flood risk
management currently has the Highways England engaged. There are opportunities for
Network Rail route drainage engineers to engage and provide valuable knowledge on
cross-asset impacts.
It is recommended that the industry improves protocols for communicating likely delays
to the public. We also advocate better communication and collaboration with local
authorities to co-ordinate road clearing. This will ensure that staff can get to work,
passengers can get to stations and freight can get into and out of terminals.
Aligned with recommendations for multi-agency co-ordination of flood risk
management, the authors also recommend that the use of earthworks for flood
mitigation is investigated, particularly where such assets are already used for flood
mitigation.
Two workshops highlighted freeze-thaw effects on rock cuttings as an issue that needed
addressing. It is recommended that the industry develop a better understanding of the
types of weather that can affect rock fall. This will mean that accurate alerts can be
produced and appropriate monitoring systems installed at sites identified as being high
risk. CIRIA is developing new collaboratively-funded good practice guidance on the
management of rock cuttings, with the support of members of the Geotechnical Asset
Owners Forum. It is recommended that weather effects are considered within this
project and that representatives from the rail sector support and provide input.
Cranfield University is currently carrying out research on the impacts of lack of
precipitation on earthworks linked to the ITRC. It was recommended that outputs from
this work are incorporated into the T1009 Phase 2 work, together with engagement with
the EPSRC-funded iSMART project led by the University of Newcastle. Network Rail,
RSSB and London Underground are currently engaged in this research.
Previous work by the Met Office (McColl et al 2012) [544] has examined climate impacts
on the UK electricity transmission and distribution network. Although this work focuses
on the energy sector, it is relevant to the railway in the context of overhead line
infrastructure.
Leaf fall mitigation measures have often been concentrated on the infrastructure (track
adhesion issues). However it is recommended that the industry explores options for new
rolling stock design to mitigate leaf fall problems. This could include traction and braking
demand, and aerodynamic design to prevent leaves being pulled into the wheel/rail
interface.
38