German Rail's Heat Vulnerability: Infrastructure Built for a Cooler Climate

Germany's record heat on June 26—41.3°C in Saarbrücken—exposes a critical infrastructure gap. The Deutsche Bahn railway network was engineered with thermal expansion tolerances set for cooler historical norms. Above 37–38°C, speed restrictions and track buckling become operational hazards. As European summers warm at twice the global rate, a transport system serving millions lacks the design buffer that southern European rail networks possess.