{"id":193772,"date":"2025-04-01T18:09:27","date_gmt":"2025-04-01T08:09:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.railfreight.com\/?p=61229"},"modified":"2025-04-01T18:09:27","modified_gmt":"2025-04-01T08:09:27","slug":"uic-sets-out-strategies-to-combat-impact-of-heavy-rains-on-rail","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=193772","title":{"rendered":"UIC sets out strategies to combat impact of heavy rains on rail"},"content":{"rendered":"

Extreme weather events related to climate change have increased in frequency and intensity in Europe over the past few years, becoming more unpredictable. They often have an impact on the rail infrastructure, causing traffic disruptions. The International Union of Railways (UIC) has launched the Resilient Rail (RERA) initiative to guide infrastructure managers in being ready to deal with heavy rains and high temperatures.<\/strong>
\n<\/span>Over the past couple of years, heavy rainfalls led to floods all over Europe, including Italy, Slovenia, Czechia, Poland, Austria and Spain. These events led to the paralysation of the railway network in the affected areas, hence the need to rethink the strategies for tackling such events. With the RERA Rail Framework, UIC wants to issue clear guidelines on both strategic planning and daily management of the rail network. \u201cIt is not just a theoretical guide; it is designed to be implemented\u201d, they stressed.<\/p>\n

Three phases<\/h2>\n

The methodology provided by UIC is divided in three phases: Climate impact analysis; Vulnerability, risk and criticality assessment and Adaptation planning. The first one focusses on gathering data to better understand and predict future rainfall patterns. The second one revolves around assessing the state of railway assets and their potential exposure to heavy rainfalls. The last one includes targeted measures to ensure the functionality of the network.<\/p>\n