Solar storms can flip railway signals, risking crashes
Get the Health newsletter
Daily health & science — research, biotech, public health, the studies worth knowing. Free.
- Cameron Patterson warned that space weather can cause railway signalling anomalies, potentially turning red signals green and leading to accidents.
- Solar storms generate geomagnetically induced currents that can interfere with railway track circuits, which many railways use to detect train presence.
- Sweden recorded a signal‑switching incident in July 1982 linked to geomagnetically induced currents from a solar storm.
- Russian research has found correlations between solar storms and railway signalling anomalies.
- Severe solar storms occur roughly once every 30 years, and a 1‑in‑100‑year event might happen as soon as next month, raising the risk of accidents.
Why it matters: Rail operators and passengers lose safety and experience delays when a rare solar storm flips signals; a 1‑in‑100‑year event raises the risk of accidents and costly service interruptions across Europe.
Ask SkimNews
