Implications of climate change for railway infrastructure

Weather phenomena can result in severe impacts on railway infrastructure. In future, projected changes to the frequency and/or intensity of extreme weather events could change weather–infrastructure risk profiles. Infrastructure owners and operators need manage current put place adequate plans anticipate adapt future risks, or mitigate arising from those risks. The assessment posed infrastructure is dependent a good understanding constituent components risk: hazard, vulnerability, exposure. A baseline needed order understand potential benefits various climate adaptation actions. Traditional methods some modification be applied timescales, for which decisions made under deep uncertainty. This review paper highlights key challenges assessing risk, including: managing uncertainties; weather-impact relationships how they with change; costs cost versus benefit adaptation; practices tools adapting literature reveals examples progress practice all these areas, providing scope effective knowledge-sharing—across other sectors—in support resilience adaptation. article categorized under: Assessing Impacts Climate Change > Evaluating Future