Slovakia Warns of Weekend Train Delays as Heat Forces Speed Limits

Bratislava, 28 June (TASR) - Train services across Slovakia could face delays over the weekend and Monday (29 June) after the railway infrastructure owner ZSR introduced precautionary speed restrictions due to extreme heat. In districts covered by a Level 3 high-temperature warning issued by the Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute (SHMU), train speeds will be limited to 80 km/h between 10.00 am and 9.00 pm, ZSR told TASR. The measure has been introduced because high temperatures can cause railway tracks to expand and, in extreme cases, buckle. The greatest impact is expected on the country's main rail corridors. "The extent of delays will depend on the area covered by SHMU's Level 3 warnings, as well as the current operational situation," ZSR said. Jan Bacek, spokesperson for the state-owned ZSSK passenger carrier, said trains that normally travel at speeds of 120-160 km/h will have to slow significantly on affected sections. "As the railway network operates as an interconnected system, even minor delays on the main lines can gradually spread to other services during the day. Some trains may be delayed by several minutes, while on the busiest routes delays could reach several tens of minutes," he said. The Leo Express Podunajsko private carrier said on social media that, following a decision by ZSR, a 50 km/h speed limit will apply between Bratislava Main Station and Komarno from Saturday until Monday because of the heat. The company said delays of around 15 to 40 minutes were expected. High temperatures could also affect road traffic. Slovak Road Administration spokesperson Jana Lukacova told TASR that prolonged heat could soften asphalt surfaces, making them more susceptible to rutting and surface deformation under extreme weather conditions. High-temperature warnings are in force across almost all of Slovakia on Sunday. A Level 3 warning applies to the entire Bratislava Region, most of the Trnava and Nitra regions, and the districts of Krupina and Velky Krtis, where forecasters expect maximum temperatures to exceed 38 degrees Celsius. Most of the remaining districts are covered by Level 1 or Level 2 heat warnings. mf