Network Rail has introduced a nationwide ban on all steam trains due to health and safety concerns amid the UK's ongoing heatwave.
The network operator is worried that steam locomotives could ignite wildfires across the country due to the sweltering conditions currently being experienced throughout the UK.
The decision to implement a one-week nationwide ban comes after an incident involving the famous Hogwarts Express on Saturday 12 July. The combination of soaring temperatures and dry conditions is believed to have caused the steam locomotive to emit sparks while travelling through Cheshire – which then caused a blaze on the side of the railway tracks. As a result, passengers were reportedly left stranded on the tracks, resulting in approximately 80 hours of delays caused by a disruption to 228 services – including 72 cancellations. A diesel locomotive was required to tow the train 70 miles back to its base in Crewe.
The announcement was a major disappointment for tourists and rail enthusiasts who had been looking forward to travelling aboard the historic steam locomotives – many of whom only learnt of the disruption days before their scheduled journeys.
A spokesperson for Network Rail spokesperson said that the ongoing long periods of hot dry weather have increased the risk of wildfires across the country, and therefore they have asked charter operators to replace steam engines with diesels. This measure aligns with Network Rail's fire risk policy, which restricts coal-fired steam engines during dry weather due to the increased risk of sparks igniting fires on parched trackside embankments.
This action comes as fire and rescue services in England and Wales have responded to 342 wildfires this year, with experts warning that extreme weather events are to be expected now in the UK.