Keywords: climate change, temperatures, track maintenance, buckles, ballast, embankments.

This paper is the next in a series by the principal author and follows on from a significant change and refocusing of the strategy in the UK relating to the safety of railway passengers associated with events allegedly initiated by climate change events. These climatic events have become more prevalent in the last five years particularly those associated with severe storms usually crossing the Atlantic Ocean and affecting the British Isles. The methods adopted in the study involve analysing data from current investigations into earthwork stability, the consideration of reports and linking these back to current theory and practice of hot weather and storm management in the UK. The other area to be covered in this paper relates to global warming where increasing temperatures have an impact upon the ability of the steel rail systems to withstand the expansion and forces associated with the expansion properties of steel as a material when subject to ambient temperatures and exposure to direct sunlight. The authors have carried out research to establish areas of modelling and good practice and critically compare these and there are a series of recommendations which relate to management of temperature risk, ballast management and remote monitoring techniques.

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