Overview

• Network Rail plans to spend £2.8 billion over the next five years to improve the railway's resilience to climate change and extreme weather.
• The investment is part of a larger £45.4 billion budget for the rail network, with funds allocated towards training staff, upgrading infrastructure, and implementing new technologies.
• Critics question the allocation of funds, citing recent data showing a decrease in weather-related train delays, suggesting the impact of climate change on the railway may be overstated.
• Government and Network Rail officials assert the necessity of the investment, highlighting the recent record rainfall and the expectation of continued extreme weather conditions.
• The plan includes training rail staff as 'amateur meteorologists', recruiting additional drainage engineers, and installing advanced weather forecasting services and CCTV at high-risk flooding sites.