Europe tackles heat damage to aging rail and roads with drones, AI, white paint

Europe's infrastructure is crumbling under unprecedented heat. On Wednesday, as temperatures across Western Europe climbed 5.5°C above the average for July 15, the strain became visible across the continent. At Oslo Airport in Norway, where the mercury was set to hit 30°C (10°C above normal for the time of year), workers doused the tarmac with water to prevent damage. The fire brigade sprayed around 9,000 liters of water on key parts of the runway, which can be damaged at high temperatures as the asphalt softens under the weight of aircraft. This marks a dramatic shift for a country historically accustomed to managing extreme cold. "In Norway, the asphalt must withstand both extreme cold and fairly warm temperatures," said Jorn Arvid Remark, an operating engineer at Norwegian state-owned airport operator Avinor, noting the airport was testing a new heat-resistant asphalt.

The challenge extends far beyond airports. Railways across Europe, many built decades ago, are buckling under the pressure. An EU report released in April found that more than 70% of rail managers were experiencing growing disruption from extreme weather. Between 2015 and 2024, weather-related interruptions amounted to the equivalent of one to three years of railway service across the region. Heat can cause tracks to expand and damage points, signals, and power systems. However, the most insidious threat comes not from heat alone but from the secondary effects: thunderstorms, strong winds, and landslides that often follow heatwaves. "The most critical issue for rail networks is not the heat itself, but the thunderstorms, strong winds and landslides that often follow heatwaves," said Oliviero Baccelli, a professor at Milan's Bocconi University, noting that Italy had already experienced significant disruptions to its railway network, particularly on Alpine routes.

Northern European countries face particular challenges because much of their rail infrastructure was designed for a narrower temperature range than networks in southern Europe. "Many rail components and systems were 'in essence frozen in time,'" said John Lawrence, chair of the IET Railway Technical Network. He acknowledged that heat-proofing entire networks would be hugely costly, but noted that operators were exploring more stable sleeper designs and technologies such as AI and drones to "speed up the amount of track that can be inspected and monitored." Britain's Network Rail has committed to substantial investment, pledging £2.6 billion ($3.5 billion（約5600億円）) between 2024 and 2029 to help its network withstand increasingly extreme weather.

Not all solutions require massive capital expenditure. Stockholm's transport authority demonstrated the value of simplicity: in May and June, it spent about 100,000 Swedish crowns ($10,300) painting sections of metro track white to reduce the risk of track buckling. Martin Wilson, engineering director at French rail equipment manufacturer Alstom, suggested Europe could learn from transport systems designed to handle extreme heat. "Today's heatwaves are often more intense, more frequent and longer-lasting," he said, pointing to the Riyadh Metro and Dubai tram, designed to operate in temperatures above 50°C (122°F). Roads face analogous pressures: northern European highways were built primarily to withstand freeze-thaw cycles, while southern countries use asphalt blends better suited to prolonged summer heat. "They may have to adjust their approach," said Jose Pablo Saez Villar of the Spanish Civil Engineers Association, referring to planners and road builders in northern Europe who must now contend with both colder winters and hotter summers.

The financial stakes are substantial. A 2025 report by leading central banks estimated that severe weather events, including heatwaves, droughts, and floods, could cut eurozone GDP by as much as 4.7% by 2030. Paris transport operator RATP has already created a heatwave contingency unit and is preparing a climate adaptation plan by the end of the year. In Norway, officials are rethinking infrastructure design altogether. "Roads are going to be made more robust," said Grethe Vikane, head of social development and climate at the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, "so they can withstand both the challenges already being experienced and the consequences of expected climate change."

Europe's infrastructure crisis reflects a fundamental mismatch between aging systems and a changing climate. Most roads and railways were built in the mid-to-late 20th century, when engineers designed them for stable, narrower temperature ranges. Northern European highways, for example, were built to withstand freeze-thaw cycles; southern countries engineered for prolonged summer heat. Now, with heatwaves becoming regular events rather than rare anomalies, many systems face simultaneous pressures—extreme cold in winter and extreme heat in summer—a combination their original design did not anticipate. An EU report documenting that more than 70% of rail managers experienced growing disruption from extreme weather, and that weather-related interruptions between 2015 and 2024 equaled one to three years of service across the region, shows the scale of operational impact.

Countries are pursuing solutions along two paths: expensive infrastructure redesign and tactical low-cost interventions. Britain's £2.6 billion ($3.5 billion（約5600億円）) investment through 2029 and Norway's shift to heat-resistant asphalt represent long-term engineering adaptation, while Stockholm's white-paint initiative demonstrates that simpler, faster methods can also deliver measurable benefit. The body of evidence—from central banks estimating potential eurozone GDP loss of 4.7% by 2030 to engineers citing rail systems in Riyadh and Dubai that handle 50°C+ temperatures—suggests that learning from heat-adapted transport networks outside Europe, and balancing capital-intensive upgrades with low-cost operational tactics, will shape how the continent copes.

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