While temperatures could exceed the 40 ° C mark this Saturday in several places, travelers planning to take the train could experience some small delays.
The high temperatures are indeed likely to slow down traffic on certain lines, warns the SNCF.
The travelers potentially concerned have in theory been alerted by email or SMS.
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The high temperatures threaten the rails of deformation, we are told.
In particular “
rails on which work has just been done and which must be consolidated, or rails that are too old
”.
On these sections of track, trains slow down in order to preserve the infrastructure.
If such disruptions can "
take place everywhere
", says an SNCF spokesperson, it is in New Aquitaine and Occitanie that the delays could be the most significant.
“
They can go from a few minutes to a few tens of minutes, with an average delay of 10 minutes
,” estimates the railway company.
Only conventional lines are affected, not high-speed lines (LGV).
Travelers who have planned to take a TGV therefore have less risk of seeing their train delayed.
Increased risk of fires near tracks
No precise list of the lines concerned is available.
And for good reason, such measures are decided on a daily basis, and locally, by SNCF agents.
“
Depending on geography and actual measured rail temperature
,” says a spokesperson.
When the thermometer exceeds 37°C - like this Saturday - the rail can heat up to 55°C.
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The scorching heat can also have an impact on the catenaries, these cables which allow the electrical supply of the trains.
“
They can relax with the heat
”, details the SNCF, and therefore cause incidents.
To avoid this, the speed of the trains can also be reduced.
During episodes of high heat, "
preventive checks are reinforced, via surveillance rounds by our network agents
", indicates the railway company.
In hot periods like now, the risk of fire along the tracks is also increased.
Such events are likely to disrupt traffic.
To limit the risks, SNCF carried out clearing along its tracks.
“
But we still expect more fires
,” warns the company.