1,500 litres of white paint are being painted onto railway tracks ahead of the summer months to keep passengers and freight moving.
Sections of the network will be painted white to reflect the sun and reduce overheating.
2024 was Europe’s warmest summer on record, and the heat can cause a serious challenge for the railway, including buckling rails and overheating.
Buckled rails due to heat caused more than 350,000 delay minutes for passengers between the 1st April 2023 and 31st March 2024.
Network Rail says that a rail painted white is 5°C to 10°C cooler than one left unpainted.
Lisa Angus, Industry Weather Response Director, Network Rail said: “Soaring temperatures on the railway can put a huge amount of pressure on our infrastructure. With extreme weather events becoming more frequent we’re working hard to keep passengers moving through the summer months ahead.
“Last year we announced plans to invest £2.8 billion over the next five years to make the network more resilient to the issues caused by climate change; helping to keep our railway safe, improve performance and minimise disruption.”
