Network Rail\u2019s Wales and Borders route has become the first in the organisation to install local weather stations on existing GSM-R railway communication masts, providing more accurate, real-time information to help teams respond to severe weather.<\/p>\n
Ten stations have been installed across Wales and Borders, measuring rainfall, wind speed and direction, temperature, humidity, and atmospheric pressure directly from locations on the railway.<\/p>\n
The technology, developed by Ninehundred Communications Group, follows lessons learned from a series of severe weather events which have caused significant disruption and cost to the railway.<\/p>\n
Between February 2023 and January 2026, 25 named storms affected the Wales and Borders route. Where complete performance data is available, each storm caused an average of more than 38 hours of delays and \u00a3179,000 in train performance costs.<\/p>\n
Storm Darragh was the most costly, at \u00a31.3 million. When it hit Wales on 6 and 7 December 2024, winds reached 93mph at Capel Curig, with fallen trees and debris disrupting services across many parts of the country.<\/p>\n
The investment comes as the Met Office forecasts an increased chance of wetter and windier than average conditions through late autumn and early winter, due to weather patterns like El Ni\u00f1o.<\/p>\n