MÁV is slowing trains and protecting tracks from the heat with paint, Transport and Investment Minister Dávid Vitézy said in a Facebook post on Wednesday.
He said that extreme heat also places a severe strain on the railway network and, in extreme cases, can even cause rail breaks, the Hungarian news agency wrote.
According to experts, the temperature of a rail exposed to blazing sun can be as much as 20 degrees higher than the air temperature, he wrote, adding that MÁV orders enhanced track inspections when rail temperatures exceed 45C, while also paying close attention to the technical condition of rolling stock.
He said that from Saturday the railway company introduced speed restrictions across 282 track-kilometres, on 73 kilometres continuously and on a further 209 kilometres during the hottest hours only.
He added that work is under way on lasting solutions. The use of heat-reflective white paint on the Pécs railway line has produced encouraging results, with measurements showing that it reduced rail temperatures by 3C to 7C. In addition, cabinets housing level-crossing equipment are being fitted with a special coating to reduce warming caused by sunlight.
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