Network Rail bans steam trains from running after ‘Harry Potter’ train sparks wildfire
Network Rail has imposed a nationwide ban on steam trains amid concerns they could trigger bushfires amid the UK’s ongoing heatwave.
The statement comes after a West Coast Railway (WCR) train is believed to have caused a wildfire in Cheshire; This resulted in 72 West Coast Main Line trains being canceled and 158 delayed.
The service is popularly known as the “Harry Potter train” as it provided the steam engine and iconic red cars for the films about JK Rowling’s wizarding world.
The grounding led to mass service cancellations and the introduction of diesel engines as last-minute replacements.
The ban will come as a huge disappointment to many, as schools across the country begin summer holidays this week.
While Network Rail is investigating the source of the fire in Cheshire, a spokesman stressed the need for a steam train ban: “The current prolonged periods of hot and dry weather have increased the risk of bushfires across the country.
“As a result, we have asked charter operators to replace their steam engines with diesel engines in line with our steam charter fire risk policy.”
The policy states that steam trains should not be used in some weather conditions due to the risks associated with burning slag and sparks from coal-fired engines.
While these flares generally pose little threat, three consecutive heat waves have caused temperatures to rise as high as 37 degrees in some areas., left the trackside grass banks and surrounding farmland completely dry; this significantly increased the potential for a stray spark to start a fire.
This year saw fire and rescue services in England and Wales respond to 342 bushfires; 65 of these had a measuring area of 30 hectares or more.
There have been approximately 19 separate bushfire incidents this week alone; This event was an event that experts had previously called a “fire wave”.
The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) has warned that this particular heatwave poses extreme risks for subsequent waves of fires: “Prolonged periods of hot, dry weather are causing vegetation to dry out.
“If these conditions persist, the risk of larger, faster-moving and more challenging bushfire events is expected to increase in the coming days and weeks.”
With much of the country in the midst of a third week of heatwave, a spokesman for the Mid-Norfolk Railway described the decision to halt the use of steam trains amid increasing reports of bushfires as a “responsible course of action”.
The news follows the publication of the Met Office’s annual climate report, which warns that extreme weather events are becoming the new “normal” in the UK.
