On the white track: What's with coloured railway lines?

ALTHOUGH not widespread as yet, travellers on one inter-provincial train link may have been surprised to see the track was not the usual dark gunmetal-grey colour, but bright white.

And it's not a case of snow on the line – especially not at the beginning of July.

Rail infrastructure board ADIF says it has painted the line between Pozo Cañada and Navajuelos, in the province of Albacete – west of those of Alicante and Murcia – on the Chinchilla de Montearagón (Albacete) to Cartagena (Murcia) connection.

The idea, it says, is to provide a protective coating for the track so it does not melt, or at least become hot and soft and begin to change shape, as temperatures rise.

And the fact it has chosen white is no accident: This is a colour that absorbs the heat of the sun, which is why people are encouraged to wear white clothes on a hot day, to cool them down, as opposed to black, which does the opposite.

The substance used is known as 'ice paint', and includes a chemical compound of substances which guarantee it to be long-lasting and insulating.

Deformation of railway tracks due to extreme heat, both from the sun and the friction of a large, heavy vehicle running along them at speed, creates a safety issue which could lead to trains being cancelled or even the line closed for months for repairs, or at least, lead to the train having to slow right down, multiplying journey time.

If the 'paint pilot' scheme works, ADIF may roll it out gradually to tracks across the rest of the country.