The heatwave is bringing transport to a standstill and melting the roads: Ukraine and Europe are battling temperatures of +40°C

An abnormal heatwave has swept across Ukraine and Europe. In some regions, temperatures are exceeding +40°C. As a result, transport has come to a standstill, roads are deteriorating and emergencies are arising in cities.

The consequences of track deformation in Vinnytsia. Photo: Viktor Perlov/Facebook

Ukraine: roads are «warping», trams are coming to a standstill

In Vinnytsia, on the night of 29 June, municipal workers were repairing the tram tracks on Soborna Street following a so-called «rail buckling» caused by the high temperatures. Tram services were temporarily suspended but resumed by the morning. Similar track buckling has been recorded here before — at temperatures of around +39°C.

In Kyiv, roads are being actively hosed down with water during the heatwave to reduce the temperature of the road surface.

Roads in Kyiv are being hosed down with water. Photo: Kyiv City State Administration

Roads in Kyiv are being hosed down with water. Photo: Kyiv City State Administration

«Due to the hot weather in the capital, the municipal enterprises of Kyivavtodor have stepped up their road watering operations. Up to 50 water-spraying vehicles are operating on the capital’s street and road network throughout the day. Priority is given to main roads of city-wide and district significance. It is on these roads that the majority of freight transport operates,» the statement reads.

Meanwhile, drivers in the Kyiv region are posting videos showing the tarmac literally ‘melting’ on the roads.

In Ivano-Frankivsk, water sprinklers, which usually operate at night, have been deployed during the day due to the roads heating up to critical temperatures of +50…+70°C. Similar measures are being taken in Volyn, where local authorities explain that water helps to reduce road damage.

In most regions of Ukraine, restrictions on lorries are also in place when temperatures exceed +28°C. For instance, the police in Mykolaiv region reported that they were enforcing restrictions on heavy goods vehicles, which are in force during heatwaves.

Europe: transport systems on the brink

The situation is even more challenging in Europe. In Leipzig, Germany, the heatwave has effectively brought tram services to a standstill. According to road safety expert Viktor Zahreba, the cause was the deformation of the bituminous layer that holds the tracks in place: it softened, began to ooze out and jammed the trams’ mechanisms.

«Transport Europe has already identified the weak link and the next step in its adaptation to climate change — this insulating material between the tracks and the concrete, which is bitumen-based (as I get it). And it was precisely this material that melted and began to seep where it shouldn’t, and to «get tangled up» in the trams,» he noted.

In Leipzig, the heat brought trams to a standstill. Photo: Viktor Zahreba

The heatwave brought trams to a standstill in Leipzig. Photo: Viktor Zahreba

The heatwave brought trams to a standstill in Leipzig. Photo: Viktor Zahreba

The heatwave brought trams to a standstill in Leipzig. Photo: Viktor Zahreba

The city was forced to suspend the tram service and transport passengers by bus and other means of transport. Tram services have not yet been fully restored — repairs to the infrastructure are being carried out around the clock. Meanwhile, the operator LVB has introduced free bike hire for holders of city travel passes.

Similar problems have been reported in other countries. In France and the UK, the heatwave has led to school closures, disruption to train services and transport restrictions. In Paris, temperatures approached +41°C, and in Britain, they reached +37°C. German transport operators are even advising the public to reduce their journeys due to the risk of track deformation.

A climate warning

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John Kennedy, a spokesperson for the World Meteorological Organisation, emphasises that such heatwaves are no longer the exception, but the new norm.

«Such heatwaves are to be expected in the context of climate change. Extreme heat will occur more frequently, last longer and be more intense as global warming continues,» he noted.

Over the past 50 years, the average temperature in Europe has risen by approximately 2°C, and the trend is continuing.

Forecast

The peak of the heatwave is expected to begin to subside at the weekend, with thunderstorms possible as early as Sunday. In Ukraine, however, the intense heat is set to persist until at least the beginning of July, with some relief expected after the 2nd, according to forecasters.

It is worth noting that on 28 June, new temperature records for that day were set in three towns in the Mykolaiv region.