Delays on the railways could be caused by "space weather" according to scientists. Researchers in the UK say solar storms can trigger malfunctions in signalling systems used to prevent crashes.
The scientists claim solar activity can cause electrical currents flowing on Earth to interfere with signals, turning them from green to red even if there are no trains nearby. Signals operate like traffic lights and detect whether a train is standing on a particular section of the line, in order to stop any potential collisions.
Even moderate solar storms can offset the balance of electrical currents which control train signals, the researchers said. But stronger solar storms cause more signals to malfunction, which in turn can increase the amount of time a train can be delayed.
Cameron Patterson, a PhD student at Lancaster University, is one of the scientists investigating the phenomenon. He said: "Most of us have at one point heard the dreaded words, ‘your train is delayed due to a signalling failure’, and while we usually connect these faults to rain, snow and leaves on the line, you may not have considered that the sun can also cause railway signals to malfunction."
The team investigated the impact of space weather on the south-north line from Preston to Lancaster and a west-east line from Glasgow to Edinburgh. Mr Patterson said he intends to look at how strong a solar storm would need to be to change a red signal - when a train is on the line - back to green to indicate that the route is clear, which he described as "a far more hazardous scenario potentially leading to crashes".
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