Image © Network Rail reproduced with permission.
Why resilience matters – and how it’s already making a difference
One of this winter’s first named storms of the season brought with it a powerful reminder of why rail resilience is of paramount importance for the South West.
Storm Bram in December 2025 caused disruption across the region’s rail network. Flooding led to temporary line closures between Swindon and Bristol Parkway, Par and Newquay and Plymouth and Totnes.
Climate change is increasing the frequency, duration, and magnitude of such extreme storms, rainfall and also heat events, pushing Britain’s rail infrastructure to breaking point.
In response, the Wales and Western region have announced a programme to adapt to an increasingly volatile natural environment, and these plans are already bearing fruit.
Shaping a resilient network
Following on from the ICE South West and South West Infrastructure Partnership adaptation pathway workshops curated with Network Rail in 2024, Wales and Western were the first of Network Rail’s five regions to complete strategic climate adaptation pathway workshops covering the entire regional network, involving colleagues from across the business, train operators and other stakeholders.
This progressive collaboration highlighted key priorities for climate resilience across the regional network and sets the stage for Network Rail’s planning for the first funding period under Great British Railways (2029-34).
Meanwhile in the current funding period known as Control Period 7, Network Rail Wales & Western has a full plan of weather resilience works already well underway.
Control periods set clear timelines for investment, ensure performance accountability, and drive operational improvements. They provide structure and transparency to stakeholders, train operators and regulators.
Undoubtedly, CP7 is a critical period in tackling some of the biggest challenges facing Britain’s ageing railway infrastructure and delivering progress towards building resilience, reliability and flexibility into our rail network.
Priorities in the Wales and Western region
Network Rail’s priorities for CP7 are:
- Safety: to reduce workplace and workforce injuries.
- Service delivery: in order to improve train service punctuality.
- Efficiencies: delivered from a £3.9 billion investment package.
- Satisfaction: to improve passenger satisfaction.
- Sustainable growth: to decrease carbon emissions and increase biodiversity.
- A focus on people: to improve employee engagement and development.
Wales and Western’s journey through CP7
At the start of CP7, Network Rail’s Wales and Western region set out plans to improve short-term operational recovery and long-term resilience.
In April 2024, Network Rail published its Weather Resilience and Climate Change Adaptation (WRCCA) Plan (PDF 3.5MB), which focuses on improving the resilience of rail infrastructure to extreme weather events. The plan identifies risks, such as flooding, heat, storms, coastal and erosion, and outlines the investment and adaptation measures needed to manage them. The plans support the goals of CP7.
However, while the WRCCA Plan was being developed, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) raised concerns about the region’s performance. In July 2024, the ORR issued a final order citing low performance levels, customer dissatisfaction, and insufficient progress, requiring urgent action from Network Rail.
In response, Network Rail published their Wales and Western Region Performance Improvement Plan (PDF 6MB) in November 2024, which was approved by the ORR. This plan includes more than 50 practical interventions focused on infrastructure, maintenance, and incident management. Most improvements should be delivered by 2026 and the full plan completed by 2029.
The results are in: how has our region done?
The region’s standout achievement was improving asset reliability through a strategic approach to replacing, upgrading, or refurbishing assets at the end of their life.
Work over the first two years of CP7 has also delivered a step change in weather resilience at key sites.
At Chipping Sodbury tunnel and cutting – an area historically prone to flooding – the region has delivered major upgrades, including new drainage systems, enhanced pumping, and track improvements. These works mean the site can now withstand more than twice the rainfall that previously caused flooding, making a significant contribution to improved train performance.
Other key results include:
- Achieved 121% of planned effective volumes
- Completed 39 of 63 initiatives in 2024–25, with eight delivering immediate benefits to infrastructure and resilience against severe weather
- Exceeded CP7 year-one targets for on-time trains by 0.6%
- Passenger train cancellations reduced from 4.9% to 4.7%
- Freight cancellations improved from 1.7% to 1.2%
The region has clearly moved into a stronger position to continue its development through CP7 and beyond, ensuring a sustainable railway for passengers and freight.