The provisional record at London Heathrow Airport at midday surpassed the previous all-time high of 38.7C, set in Cambridge in 2019. Forecasters warned that temperatures were expected to rise further during the day. The record came after Transport Secretary Grant Shapps warned it could take “decades” to make Britain’s transport system more resilient to extreme heat. Rail services across England had significantly reduced services on Tuesday, with lines canceled north of London as extreme heat overwhelmed infrastructure designed for a maximum temperature of 35C. The Met Office also said the country had possibly experienced its hottest night ever on Monday, with temperatures reaching 25C in some areas, surpassing the previous record set in 1990 of 23.9C. Bob Ward, director of policy and communications at the Grantham Research Institute for Climate Change and the Environment, said the record temperature was “a harbinger of things to come” and that failure to net zero commitments now would store worse pain for the future . National Rail urged customers to only travel if “absolutely necessary” on Tuesday and warned of delays and last-minute timetable changes. Transport for London, which runs the capital’s underground network, said journeys were down 30 per cent on a week ago as commuters heeded advice to stay at home. All services north to York on the East Coast Central Line from London King’s Cross station have been cancelled. The station gig, which normally handles 220,000 passengers a day, was deserted, with departure boards showing long lines of canceled services. Steel rail tracks absorb heat and are prone to buckling and loosening, increasing the risk of derailment. On Monday, some lines reached 62C, according to Network Rail. Luton Airport came to a standstill on Monday night, with all flights canceled due to a heat-related fault on its runway.

Shapps told Sky News the infrastructure took decades to build, citing the example of the millions of miles of roads where asphalt would have to be replaced. Councils this week put sandbags on standby to spread sand on melting motorways. He said the head of Network Rail had advised him three years ago about overhead lines on railways, which also tend to fail in the heat. “He talked to me about the new upgraded specifications for the rail lines where they can withstand much higher temperature levels and we will see that much more regularly,” Shapps added. “We’ve seen the hottest days on record in the last 10 to 15 years. So we’ll see more of that. It’s a huge piece of infrastructure to replace.” The government’s emergency response team, Cobra, will not meet on Tuesday, but the issue will be discussed by cabinet. Shapps also defended Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s decision to miss three recent emergency Cobra meetings over the heatwave, despite taking time out for a ride in an RAF Typhoon fighter jet. “There is a war going on in Europe. Why on earth wouldn’t he go and meet the RAF?’ he said.