A new study led by Lancaster University has shown how space weather has the potential to play havoc with rail signal infrastructure in the UK and beyond.
Examining two routes – the Preston to Lancaster section of the West Coast Main Line, and the Glasgow to Edinburgh line – the research modelled the effect of geomagnetically induced currents (GICs) caused by powerful solar storms. It was found that GICs flowed through the track circuits of AC electrified lines powered with overhead cables, potentially switching rail signals from red to green and vice versa. The work is published in Space Weather.