The trains slow down - because it's just too hot!!

My last editorial dealt with traffic chaos here in the UK, and how the problem might be solved (see: Traffic Chaos - There is a solution! ) This week we are witnessing chaos on our overstretched railways - simply because of the hot weather that's expected to peak to almost 100F (37.5C). Not to be outdone, during the autumn and winter the trains here in the UK are regularly disrupted due to wet leaves or snow on the track!

Paul M (aka.Sid) Editor Rip-Off Britain

Despite other countries who have to cope with extremes of temperatures and weather conditions, as soon as we get extremes here our transportation system goes into meltdown. All this chaos only adds to the Rip-Off Britain scenario of poor service, poor planning and commuter frustration, plus millions of pounds wasted in lost in man-hours every year caused by train delays and cancellations.

So why do Britain's railways suffer during extremes of weather?

The hot weather this week may well see rail track temperatures rise to 50C - and the warping of rails due to the heat and the safety to passengers are of major concern. To prevent rails from warping, the track is 'pre-stressed' or stretched, so that when it gets hot, the metal cannot expand any further. It is designed to cope with temperatures up to 30 degrees centigrade. The problem that is making Network Rail sweat is relatively simple to explain - track is made of steel, and it expands in the heat. A great deal of modern track is welded together into continuous runs, making it much smoother but more susceptible to warping.

But hang on a minute!! I seem to recall some years ago when one could hear the 'clickity-click' of a train passing over single sections of rail that had a nice GAP - a gap that was designed to allow the rails to expand in the heat and shrink in the cold! Other countries such as France, Canada and the USA that regularly have extremes of temperatures don't seem to suffer from the same problems inflicted upon the poor UK rail traveller.

So what's the solution? Believe it or not - if we had taken a piece of technology forward that was invented right here in the UK, we would not be reliant on train rails whatsoever! Before his death, Professor Eric Braithwaite of Imperial College, London was the inventor of linear acceleration (motors) during the 60's & 70's, and although Britain was the first country to introduce a MAGLEV service during the 80's, the idea of MAGLEV (magnetic levitation) never got the recognition or the research money it deserved.

Of course, like most British inventions, many other countries have taken up and are developing linear motor technology that's sending trains and passengers up to 300mph - without using 'conventional' rails. A journey from Paris to Rome would be completed in just 2 hours!

Whilst our railway system creeks and groans under the strain of outdated track and poor maintenance, other nations are pursuing MAGLEV technology actively.