Solar storm warning: Blasts from the Sun could cause railway CHAOS as trains may collide

However, Mr Patterson did note this would be an extreme outcome, saying: “We are now working on looking at the case where trains are present on the line, and how strong a storm needs to be to turn a red signal back to green.”

This, he added, is “a far more hazardous scenario potentially leading to crashes!”

In railway systems, trains are located by splitting the lines up into small, consecutive segments known as “blocks” that tend to be 0.6–1.2 miles long.

Each of these blocks is tied to a signal that identifies where a train is currently on that block, which are controlled by relays that detect electrical currents in the system, signifying that no trains are present on the block, and thus turning the light green.

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Article source: https://www.express.co.uk/news/science/1641844/solar-storm-warning-blasts-from-sun-train-delays-space-weather-railway-chaos-collide