Scotland\u2019s Railway has published its Climate Ready Plan which sets out how the nation\u2019s railways will respond to the challenges of our changing climate over the next five years and beyond.<\/p>\n
Published jointly by Network Rail<\/a> Scotland and ScotRail<\/a> the 109-page plan will inform investment across the railway\u2019s infrastructure during the next five years from April 2024 to March 2029.<\/p>\n The plan sets out the actions Scotland\u2019s Railway will take to improve the resilience of the railway against physical changes in the climate. It includes plans for direct investment in infrastructure as well as introducing additional climate science and adaptation capabilities to strengthen the industry\u2019s decision-making.<\/p>\n The plan also lays the groundwork for development of a longer-term adaptation strategy for managing the risks associated with changes in Scotland\u2019s climate.<\/p>\n Alan Ross, Network Rail Scotland\u2019s director of engineering and asset management, said: \u201cWe know that our climate is changing at an unprecedented rate, and that this is having an impact on Scotland\u2019s Railway.<\/p>\n \u201cIn our current climate \u2013 which is already warmer and wetter \u2013 we know that extreme weather events can impact our railway in a way that causes disruption for our customers.<\/p>\n \u201cOur plan will look at how we can implement new and improved climate science and adaptation capabilities that will strengthen our decision-making processes and help us manage our changing climate in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n David Lister, safety and sustainability director for ScotRail, said: \u201cOur vision is to deliver a safe, sustainable, inclusive and accessible railway for Scotland.<\/p>\n \u201cClimate resilience is a strategic priority for Scotland\u2019s Railway, and this plan will keep track and train working together to ensure Scotland\u2019s Railway is adapting to the impacts of climate change while targeting actions that enable the continued safe operation of the railway and reduce the disruption climate change can cause.\u201d<\/p>\n Jonny Casey, head of climate ready leadership at sustainability charity\u00a0Sniffer<\/a>\u00a0and manager of the\u00a0Adaptation Scotland<\/a>\u00a0programme, said: \u201cOur climate is changing, and while some of these changes are avoidable, other consequences are now unavoidable. We need to adapt to live well with present and future impacts. Scotland\u2019s Railway is central to connecting our places, and a vital system for business and leisure transport on which many other services depend.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are delighted to see Scotland\u2019s Railway take such a leading role in Scotland\u2019s infrastructure resilience planning. This work will help ensure the railways are able to adapt our changing climate as well as inspiring action from peers and partners across Scotland through Network Rail\u2019s membership of the\u00a0Adaptation Scotland Public Sector Climate Adaptation Network<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n In total \u00a31.9bn will be invested in renewing the railway\u2019s infrastructure in Scotland over the next five years.<\/p>\n More than \u00a3400m of this will contribute towards the resilience of the network against extreme weather and future changes in climate \u2013 including over \u00a3100m on earthworks, \u00a3100m on lineside infrastructure including drainage and over \u00a340m on structures like bridges and tunnels.<\/p>\n This builds on investment already made over recent years including the establishment in Scotland of the British railway\u2019s first 24\/7 specialist weather desk, staffed by qualified meteorologists, to analyse the real-time impacts of extreme weather on the railway.<\/p>\n Scotland\u2019s Railway is also at the forefront of deploying remote monitoring equipment on the infrastructure to help give early warning of potential issues with wireless tilt meters now installed at over 150 locations.<\/p>\n With plans to roll this kit out to more sites, the tilt sensors detect movement in slopes and send an alert via the mobile network to the railway\u2019s control room.\u00a0<\/p>\n River level monitors and scour telemetry has also been installed on key bridges across the Scottish network and additional investment has been made in surveying and maintaining drainage assets across the country.<\/p>\n