The transport resilience review is an independent study of all modes of transport and their ability to function in a wide range of extreme weather events. This review was commissioned by the Secretary of State for Transport in response to the extreme weather experienced during the winter of 2013 and 2014. It was conducted by a panel of experts and sought evidence from across the transport community. The report:
- sets out the context in which it was conducted
- gives an overview of the weather events of 2013 and 2014
- provides commentary on the expected severity and frequency of such events in the future
The winter of 2013/14 saw the UK affected severely by an exceptional run of winter storms, resulting in serious coastal damage and widespread, persistent flooding. Our transport network has, on the whole, proved resilient to the recent weather events. Resilience planners and operational teams have worked very hard in challenging circumstances to minimise service disruption to the travelling public. However, damage has been caused to some key assets, with disruption to service delivery.
Following these events, Richard Brown CBE, was asked by the Secretary of State for Transport to conduct an independent review of the transport network’s ability to cope with extreme weather. This included types of weather not addressed by ‘The Resilience of England’s Transport Systems’ review led by David Quarmby CBE, which considered snow, ice and low temperatures. This report covers the following transport modes:
- Road – the Strategic Road Network (Highways Agency) and local roads (Local Highway Authorities);
- Rail – the national rail infrastructure network (Network Rail) and train and freight operating companies;
- Aviation – airports of economic and strategic importance;
- Maritime and ports – ports of economic and strategic importance;
- London – transport within the remit of Transport for London.
A summary of the main findings for airports are:
Airports also face a more specific set of extreme weather risks. The main hazard is high winds (snow and freezing conditions being out of scope of this Review), with aircraft not being able to land or take off when cross winds are above a certain strength. However this is a regularly encountered event, with well-rehearsed procedures.
As the events at Gatwick on 23rd December showed, flooding is an increasing risk, particularly from intense rainfall and flooding from nearby watercourses. Airports need to review their exposure to flood risks, and ensure that all critical infrastructure is protected. Airports and airline operations are also vulnerable to fog and thunderstorms, which disrupt aircraft movements on the approaches to airports as well as on the ground. More granularity of forecasting these events, in terms of their location and timing, would be of benefit in reducing disruption, as would some changes to air traffic control arrangements.