As England breached record high temperatures, flights in and out of Britain's international airport were halted due to 'surface defect'; temporary speed restrictions were imposed on portions of Britain's rail network—including London's tube system over fears that the rails will buckle to extreme heat and overhead wire systems will fail
A rail passenger uses a fan to cool down as they sit with their belongings at Euston train station in central London, on July 19, 2022, as services were cancelled due to a trackside fire, and as the country experiences an extreme heat wave.
Image: Niklas Halle'n / AFP
LONDON — England on Tuesday was facing the possibility of serious disruption to its transportation networks as temperatures were poised to creep to unprecedented new highs.
Flights into and out of one of Britain’s busiest international airports were halted for much of Monday after a “surface defect” caused by high temperatures was identified on the runway. Footage from London’s Luton Airport showed engineers repairing a roughly 15-foot-by-10-foot section of the tarmac. The airport reopened Monday evening after work was completed.
Temporary speed restrictions were in place over large portions of Britain’s rail network, including on London’s tube system. Entire lines preemptively canceled service — including all services heading north out of London — over fears that the extreme temperatures forecast could cause rails to buckle. And bold red warnings were posted in stations and on social media urging people to reconsider their trips.
But despite guidance against traveling Tuesday, many Londoners felt they had no choice but to use the city’s tube network and other trains.
Among them was Rosabel Johnston, 60, who had altered her route to ensure she was able to get on board one of the few air-conditioned portions of London’s Tube network Tuesday morning to get to her job.
©2019 New York Times News Service