Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with rail operators regarding extreme weather events and their impact on the rail infrastructure.

Network Rail and the wider industry are responsible for managing the effects of any weather-related incidents on the railway, and they have well-established operational measures they implement to protect infrastructure and manage services safely during extreme weather events.

When extreme weather is forecast, the Department maintains particularly close contact with Network Rail to support industry in their preparation as they implement appropriate mitigations.

Looking ahead, Network Rail is drafting long-term plans, and has in place a weather resilience and climate change strategy to ensure the infrastructure can cope with climate change and short-term periods of extreme weather. The Department continues to support the rail industry in this regard.