Developing railway solutions that can withstand the effects of climate change
Developing railway solutions that can withstand the effects of climate change
Extreme weather events are no longer anomalies - they are the new norm. Climate change disrupts weather patterns, escalating sea levels and increasing the occurrence of natural disasters. In France alone, the number of significant rail accidents linked to climatic hazards tripled over the period 2015-2022. Thus, the resilience of the world’s rail networks, which serve as the backbone of passenger and goods transportation, has become a critical concern for urban planners, authorities, investors and manufacturers alike.
Forecasting the probability and intensity of climate hazards remains a fiendishly complex task. While railway systems can be game changers in reducing transport impact on climate change, they are also the victim of its adverse effects. Consequently, railway systems must be directly engineered to endure increasingly harsh conditions - be it scorching heatwave, heavy snowfalls, floods, or sandstorms. Maintenance of equipment, from trains to components, electricals and infrastructure, must be devised in such a way as to prevent potential accidents and mitigate system’s weaknesses. With their long lifespan, railway systems require long-term solutions. We are at a pivotal moment, where every decision made today could significantly influence the challenges we will encounter in the future, testing in unexpected ways the resilience of our systems.
To address these challenges and build climate resilience, railway companies focus on innovating in all aspects of the business: trains, infrastructure, signalling, services and in collaboration with different stakeholders.
Passenger safety and comfort at the heart of train design
Around the world, trains solutions are designed in compliance with international standards (e.g. EN50125-1 or EN14750) that outline the environmental conditions under which trains (and on-board equipment) are expected to operate. Alstom's design focus ensures trains operate reliably under diverse environmental conditions, from tropical heat to severe winters leveraging its research from reviewing climatic trends over the past twelve years.
Our trains are designed to function efficiently within a temperature range of -25°C to +45°C and can be tropicalised or winterised to withstand temperatures as low as -40°C. Utilisation of advanced materials and engineering practices ensures operational reliability, while efficient HVAC systems maintain passenger comfort and safety. For example, cooling systems on Alstom’s metro in Riyadh are designed to operate even when external temperatures soar to +58°C and power supply is cut off.
Dubai’s tramway, powered by an APS, during a sandstorm
Innovative and resistant infrastructure
Events such as heavy rainfall, flooding, heatwaves, snowstorms, and high winds can easily cause significant damage to railway tracks, bridges, stations, and other critical components of the railway infrastructure. These adverse conditions can lead to disruptions in service, delays, increased maintenance costs, and safety risks.
To reduce potential fallout, Alstom has been at the forefront of developing innovative solutions for railway infrastructure to withstand floods, thermal stress, and harsh winters. Notable advancements such as ground-level dynamic power supply (APS) technology, introduced in 2003 and enhanced cable design increase infrastructure lifetime, resistance to dust, temporary submersion and extreme temperature (70°C). This technology has been adopted by 11 cities globally, including Dubai’s tramway, which has efficiently operated in desert conditions, Bordeaux’s tramway during flooding or Istanbul’s tramway during harsh winters, reflecting Alstom's commitment to addressing region-specific climate challenges.
Train-centric and agile signalling
To address the impact of climate change on signalling, the industry is evolving toward more adaptive and robust signalling solutions that emphasise agility and safety amidst climate hazards. The train-centric architecture developed by Alstom minimises the placement of vulnerable components on tracks, thereby decreasing the system's susceptibility to harsh climate events. Meanwhile, the agile traffic management connected local weather stations adjusts train speeds based on real-time climate conditions, ensuring safety especially in case of extreme temperatures.
Furthermore, to ensure operational continuity, Alstom installs secondary technical rooms as backup control centres. Located strategically away from primary control centres, these backups mitigate risks associated with localised climate events such as floods or fires.
Predictive and prognostic maintenance
Relying on data, Alstom’s maintenance strategies bolster the long-term reliability of railway solutions. Predictive maintenance leverages data analytics to monitor asset conditions in real-time, identifying issues before they escalate while prognostic maintenance forecasts future equipment conditions based on historical data, allowing different stakeholders to plan interventions judiciously.
Leveraging this approach, Alstom focuses on three strategies that adapt maintenance to current and future weather conditions. This includes winterisation plan, increasing inspection frequency or monitoring potential capacitor failures closely during extreme conditions. Recently, Alstom has proactively revised the preventive replacement schedule for capacitors in Dubai from 20 to 10 years to identify early the impact of prolonged heat on capacitor’s longevity. Regular rust treatment and frequent walking inspections are also conducted to address rust-related issues, particularly in high humidity areas such as washing zones.
“Alstom, a global leader in mobility solutions, strongly believes in its role in preventing and mitigating impacts from climate change, which are likely to affect the railway sector: directly, as both transport infrastructure and operations are vulnerable to changes of the current climate conditions and indirectly, as a transition to a low-carbon economy, compatible with the Paris Agreement objectives, may result in strengthened climate regulations for the transport sector.”
Véronique Andries
Vice-president Sustainability & CSR, Alstom
Full steam ahead: collaborating with clients and stakeholders
Consequently, Alstom regularly discuss with its clients to gain insights into their needs and align solutions more effectively. As part of international working groups (EN & EIC), Alstom also collaborates with governments, private entities, and international organisations to accelerate knowledge sharing and policy influencing on international standards such as EN 501255 on railway applications and EN 13129 on air conditioning. By fostering partnerships, the railway sector can better prepare for the challenges posed by climate change, ultimately ensuring safer and more reliable travel for passengers worldwide.
As we confront the challenges posed by climate change, Alstom's expertise and commitment to resilience demonstrate that innovative solutions and collaborative efforts can build a transportation system capable of enduring time and nature.
