Railways have always been affected by the effects of extreme weather situations and at the same time designed to withstand them system-wide. But today's extreme weather could soon become the norm as climate change progresses. What specific effects could climate change have on railway infrastructure? What adaptation measures could be necessary and promising? These were the central questions of the research project commissioned by the International Union of Railways (UIC) to IZT scientists. Specific climate impacts, potential damage risks and adaptation costs were analysed using the Rhine Valley and the west coast of Great Britain as examples.

The aim of the ARISCC project was to develop adequate adaptation strategies for railway infrastructures, the subsystems and their design as well as important process sequences. Practical solutions and instructions were developed based on the existing experience and measures of some infrastructure operators. These included methods and systems for real-time weather monitoring, vulnerability and risk surveys and analyses of the infrastructure subsystem (GIS-based) or damage statistics for extreme weather events.

Ongoing measures, examples of good practice and the transferability of adaptations to other modes of transport and other critical infrastructures were identified and analysed. Important results should be a practice-oriented guideline for the planning and implementation of adaptation measures for railway infrastructures to climate change. Furthermore, specific climate impacts, potential damage risks and adaptation costs were analysed on the basis of three (rail) transport corridors (Rhine Valley, west coast of Great Britain, a third international corridor in Asia, Australia or North America).

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