Eurostar prepares for future heat with trains that can operate in 55C weather

After the extreme heat that many countries in Europe are experiencing this summer, Eurostar has ordered trains that will be able to run in temperatures as high as 55 degrees celsius. 

Eurostar orders trains to cope with 55C weather

Eurostar recently updated its order of trains from models that can operate in 45-degree weather to ones that can run in 55 degrees. The decision comes after a string of heatwaves hit several countries in Europe, something which is likely to become a more frequent occurrence.

“This year, the heatwave has been earlier, longer, hotter than ever,” Eurostar chief executive Gwendoline Cazenave told the Financial Times (FT). Given the heat that Cazenave believes is more commonly associated with Saudi Arabia, the international rail company decided to prepare for hotter temperatures, as the new trains are set to be in service until the 2060s.

Preparation for extreme heat in the future

Eurostar placed a 2-billion-euro order for up to 50 trains from Alstom, including new double-decker trains, to run in the Channel Tunnel from 2031. Fortunately, the terms of the contract with the producer allowed the rail company to change the heat specifications before finalising the order. The main change to the trains is the material used for the components of the air-conditioning units. 

Other measures that take extreme heat into consideration, which the company is already implementing, include adding more maintenance bays for air-conditioning units and stocking trains with more bottled water when heatwaves are forecast. 

In June, the Netherlands experienced an 11-day-long “super heatwave” that led the country to issue the first-ever code red heat warning, with temperatures topping 40 degrees locally. Many countries, such as France and Spain, have been ravaged by wildfires. Scientists have warned that due to climate change, heatwaves like this could become more likely and more intense.