General · 27 July 2026

Network Rail slows down trains as drought shrinks soil under the tracks

Geof Sheppard via Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-SA-4.0)

Speed limits drop to 40mph on some routes from 3 August, while other trains will get cancelled or use fewer carriages. Network Rail said record spring temperatures baked the clay and peat beneath routes across East Anglia and the South West. Travellers heading between Salisbury and Exeter, or using the Fen Line, face longer journeys until ground conditions improve.

By BriefTea Editorial · 27 July 2026 at 17:29

Reported by The Telegraph · How we write briefs