Trains have been canceled and railway lines closed after Network Rail issued a “do not travel” warning on what is expected to be the hottest day on record.
Network Rail scrapped most journeys through the Met Office’s extreme heat zone, which covers much of central, north and south-east England.
There are no services to or from London King’s Cross throughout the day.
The cancellations are due to the heat affecting the safety of steel railroad tracks, which can buckle if the heat gets too high.
Network Rail’s operations director Jake Kelly said any journey that might take place within the Met Office’s red zone on Tuesday would be “long, disruptive and uncomfortable”.
“With free refunds or ticket exchanges available, our best advice is to stay home and reschedule your trip,” he added.
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Network Rail, which owns and operates most train lines in the UK, said it had no plans for Thameslink or Great Northern services, which would run north of London all day.
The East Midlands Railway operates very limited services between Derby, Nottingham, Luton, Bedford and London, shutting down altogether during the hottest part of the day.
The main route on the east coast between the capital York and Leeds has been completely closed.
Meanwhile, services from London Euston on Avanti West Coast and West Midlands Railway trains, together with Chilterns Railway trains to and from London Marylebone, will also be “very limited and disrupted”.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps told BBC Breakfast that Britain’s Victorian-style railways “simply weren’t built to withstand that kind of temperature – and it will be many years before we can replace infrastructure with the kind of infrastructure that could.” ‘because the temperatures are so high, so extreme’.
When asked if the transport system can cope with the weather, he said: “The simple answer right now is no.
“Where these chains are 40C in the air, on the ground it can be 50, 60, 70 and more so there is a risk of the chains buckling.
“What we can’t have are trains going over it and a horrific derailment. We have to be very careful and aware of why there are reduced speeds on large parts of the network.”
Speed limits for railways have been introduced in most parts of England and Wales, with reports of buckled tracks and overheard wire systems failing on Monday.
Trains running were mostly limited to speeds of 90 mph, 100 mph or 125 mph, while some had to go as slow as 20 mph.
Speed limits on trains are introduced when temperatures rise, as steel rails absorb heat easily and are typically around 20 °C (68 °F) above ambient air temperature.
The restrictions help because a train exerts less force when traveling slower, meaning the rail is less likely to buckle in the heat.
Overhead power lines – especially less modern ones – can also stretch and sag in hot weather, so traveling more slowly reduces the risk of damage.
To prevent the tracks from getting too hot, Network Rail paints track “hot spots” white so they absorb less heat.
Network Rail’s Kevin Groves said railways around the world are designed to operate in a temperature range of 45 degrees, with the scale for steel rails in the UK being rated between -10 and 35C.
He added that operators had their fingers crossed that services would return to normal on Wednesday, but a lot depends on the extent of damage to the railways.
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