Extreme weather events have become a new reality of our lives, a tangible and growing consequence of global climate change. No longer considered “anomalies,” these events are radically changing weather patterns, raising sea levels, and significantly increasing the frequency and severity of natural disasters. The gravity of this situation is strikingly illustrated by the tripling of major train accidents related to climate hazards in France between 2015 and 2022.
The resilience of the world’s rail networks, which form the basis of passenger and freight transport, has therefore become a critical concern for urban planners, public authorities, investors and rail equipment manufacturers. While accurately predicting the likelihood and intensity of climate hazards remains a complex process, it is impossible to ignore the fact that rail systems can both play a significant role in mitigating the impact of climate change on transport and can also be direct victims of these negative impacts. As a result, rail systems must be designed and built to withstand increasingly challenging environmental conditions, from scorching heat waves to heavy snowfall, floods to sandstorms. Maintenance of all equipment, from trains to the smallest components, electrical systems to infrastructure, must be planned to prevent potential accidents and minimize system vulnerabilities. Due to their long-term nature, rail systems require long-term strategies that go beyond short-term solutions. We are at a critical turning point where every decision taken today can significantly impact the climate challenges we will face in the future and test the resilience of our current systems in unexpected ways.
To address these complex challenges and increase the climate resilience of rail networks, rail companies focus on innovation in all aspects of the business (train design, infrastructure development, signalling systems, operational services) and in close collaboration with different stakeholders.
Priority of Safety and Comfort in Train Design
Train solutions around the world are designed in full compliance with international standards (e.g. EN50125-1 or EN14750) that detail the expected environmental conditions of trains (and on-board equipment). As a global mobility leader, Alstom’s design approach is based on extensive research into climate trends over the last twelve years. This research ensures that Alstom trains operate reliably under a wide range of environmental challenges, from the scorching heat of the tropics to the harsh winter conditions.
Alstom trains are designed to operate efficiently across a wide temperature range from -25°C to +45°C and can be tropicalized or winterized to withstand temperatures as low as -40°C. The use of advanced materials and innovative engineering practices ensures operational reliability, while highly efficient HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) systems maintain passenger comfort and safety in all weather conditions. For example, Alstom’s advanced cooling systems on the Riyadh metro are specifically designed to operate without interruption when outside temperatures reach +58°C, and even during power outages. Similarly, Istanbul’s modern trams, powered by APS (ground level power supply) technology, can continue to operate effectively even in the harsh winter conditions the city sometimes experiences. Dubai’s APS-equipped trams have also proven their durability in the harsh desert environment, battling sandstorms.
Innovative and Durable Infrastructure Solutions
Extreme weather events such as heavy rainfall, flash floods, prolonged heat waves, severe snowstorms and strong winds can easily cause significant damage to railway tracks, critical bridges, vital stations and other essential components of the railway infrastructure. These adverse conditions can lead to unexpected disruptions to service, frustrating delays, increased maintenance costs and, most importantly, serious safety risks.
Alstom is at the forefront of developing innovative and durable solutions to minimise these potential negative impacts. The company’s rail infrastructure solutions are specifically designed to be highly resistant to flooding, thermal stress (expansion and contraction caused by extreme temperatures) and harsh winter conditions. Significant advances such as ground-level dynamic power supply (APS) technology, introduced in 2003, and improved cable designs have significantly extended the life of the infrastructure, while also significantly improving its resistance to dust, temporary submersion and extreme temperatures (up to 70°C). This groundbreaking technology has been adopted by 11 cities globally, including the Dubai tram, which operates efficiently in desert conditions, the Bordeaux tram, which continues its normal operations despite floods, and the Istanbul tram, which provides reliable service during harsh winter months. This widespread adoption is a concrete demonstration of Alstom’s unwavering commitment to effectively addressing the region’s specific climate challenges. The fact that Bordeaux’s APS-powered trams continued to operate smoothly despite the flooding provides striking evidence of the technology’s effectiveness in real-world conditions.
Train Centric and Agile Signaling Systems
In order to address the potential negative impacts of climate change on signalling systems, the railway sector is undergoing a significant evolution towards more adaptable and robust signalling solutions. These new generation signalling systems aim to maximise agility and safety in the face of various climate hazards. The train-centric architecture developed by Alstom minimises the number of vulnerable components on the tracks, significantly reducing the system’s sensitivity to extreme climate events. At the same time, agile traffic management systems connected in real time to local weather stations dynamically adjust train speeds to current climatic conditions, significantly improving safety, especially during extreme temperatures.
To further secure operational continuity, Alstom installs secondary technical rooms as backup control centres. Built in strategically remote locations from primary control centres, these redundant systems minimise the risks associated with local climatic events such as floods or fires and help ensure uninterrupted operation in the event of a primary system failure.
Predictive and Prognostic Care Strategies
Alstom’s advanced data-based maintenance strategies significantly increase the long-term reliability of railway solutions. Predictive maintenance uses sophisticated data analytics techniques to monitor the conditions of assets (trains, infrastructure, etc.) in real time. This allows potential problems to be detected at an early stage before they grow and lead to failures. Prognostic maintenance, on the other hand, predicts future equipment conditions based on past performance data, allowing different stakeholders (operators, maintenance teams, etc.) to intelligently plan their interventions.
Leveraging this innovative approach, Alstom focuses on three key strategies that dynamically adapt maintenance to current and future weather conditions. These include winterization plans that include specific maintenance procedures during the winter months, increasing inspection frequency according to the severity of the weather conditions, and closely monitoring potential capacitor failures during extreme temperatures. Alstom recently proactively revised its preventive replacement schedule for capacitors on trams in Dubai from 20 years to 10 years, identifying the negative effects of prolonged high temperatures on the life of capacitors at an early stage. Regular rust treatment and frequent detailed walk-through inspections are also carried out to effectively address corrosion issues, particularly in high humidity areas such as wash zones. In a special climate chamber in Vienna, Austria, vehicles such as Alstom’s Flexity trams are rigorously tested against extreme weather conditions to maximize their durability and reliability.
As a global mobility solutions leader, Alstom strongly believes in its critical role in preventing and mitigating the impacts of climate change. These impacts are likely to directly impact the rail sector, as both transport infrastructure and operations are highly sensitive to rapid changes in current climate conditions. Indirectly, the transition to a low-carbon economy in line with the Paris Agreement goals could result in stricter climate regulations for the transport sector. Therefore, industry players like Alstom are committed to continuous innovation and collaboration to increase climate resilience.
