The idea is simple but could have significant positive impact on the management of Infrabel, the firm charged with running Belgium’s railways.
Every year, Infrabel is confronted with difficulties all over the rail network during high temperatures, notably affecting the maintenance of the railways. The main issue is that train tracks buckle as a result of overheating.
The apparent solution being explored by Infrabel is to paint train tracks white as a means to cool them down. Infrabel’s spokesperson confirmed the attempt to RTBF, but announced that the preliminary results have not yet been successful.
The paint the firm is using is a electricity conductor and requires longer periods to cool down. This in turn could involve closing sections of train tracks for longer periods.
Nevertheless, as the Belgian television channel explained, the solution could still lower the temperatures of the tracks by a significant amount.
