From Roads to Runways, Rising Heat Puts Global Transport Systems Under Strain

A World Bank and GFDRR review warns that intensifying heatwaves are crippling transport systems worldwide, from buckling roads and warped railways to grounded planes and unsafe public transit. The study stresses that proactive adaptation through resilient infrastructure, shaded urban design, and equity-focused planning is far cheaper and safer than inaction.

Heatwaves are fast becoming one of the most disruptive consequences of climate change, and a new report by the World Bank and the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR), drawing on research from the International Labour Organization (ILO), the World Health Organization (WHO), the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), and transport research boards and universities worldwide, shows how precarious global mobility has become. A Comprehensive study consolidates evidence from across continents, warning that the infrastructure that keeps economies moving is straining under rising temperatures, with consequences for safety, public health, and economic stability.

The report opens with images that bring the crisis to life: melted railway tracks in Lucknow, India; a bus overturning on the Agra-Lucknow expressway after a tire burst during a heatwave; and flights grounded at Israel’s Ben-Gurion Airport when runways overheated. These snapshots underline the central message that extreme heat, once seen as an occasional inconvenience, is now a systemic risk across all modes of transport. Unlike earlier studies that offered fragmented or largely qualitative accounts, this review synthesizes quantitative data and expands the lens beyond wealthy countries, deliberately incorporating evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East, where climate resilience is weakest and adaptation resources are scarce.

Roads Cracking, Drivers Failing

Road transport emerges as one of the most visible casualties of extreme heat. Asphalt softens, cracks, and buckles, while bridge joints and pavements strain under thermal expansion. Vehicles, too, are pushed to breaking point: tires blow out, engines overheat, and electronic systems falter in prolonged high temperatures. The toll on drivers is just as severe. Studies cited in the report document that even at a relatively modest cabin temperature of 27°C, drivers show a 22 percent increase in reaction times and miss half again as many alert signals compared to cooler conditions. Long-haul truckers and minibus taxi drivers, particularly in countries such as South Africa where vehicles routinely trap heat above 39°C, are at heightened risk of dehydration, fatigue, and impaired judgment. Fatal crashes linked to these conditions are expected to rise unless interventions such as shaded rest stops, heat-resistant construction materials, and adaptive speed limits are introduced.

Rails Warping in the Sun

The railways face their own crisis. Steel tracks expand and warp when exposed to prolonged heat, and the consequences are costly. The report estimates that in the European Union and United Kingdom alone, a four-degree rise in average temperatures could add €1.5 billion annually in maintenance costs, with Germany absorbing nearly €900 million of that burden. In Spain, track buckling events are projected to soar to as many as 500 per year by mid-century. Beyond infrastructure, railway workers themselves are increasingly vulnerable. Heat stress episodes in southern Britain, for example, are expected to increase between three and eight times by the 2040s. Some solutions are emerging, such as installing Internet of Things (IoT) sensors to detect defects in real time and developing new heat-resistant materials, but the report emphasizes that research methodologies are still underdeveloped, leaving rail operators with limited tools to prevent accidents.

Planes Too Heavy to Fly

Aviation is not immune to the heat crisis. High temperatures reduce air density, forcing pilots to limit take-off weight or delay flights altogether. Airports in hot climates are already extending runways or rescheduling takeoffs to early mornings and evenings to cope. Ground staff, exposed for long hours, face rising rates of heat-related illness. Simple but effective interventions like cooling vests have been deployed in some airports, though the report suggests much broader efforts will be necessary as summers grow hotter.

Public transport, the daily lifeline for millions, is also under stress. In cities where buses and minibuses dominate, poorly ventilated cabins turn into heat chambers, affecting not only drivers but also passengers, particularly the elderly, pregnant women, and those with chronic health conditions. Research in South Africa found that drivers often endure eleven-hour shifts in vehicles where interior temperatures peak at nearly 40°C, a scenario that exacerbates fatigue and endangers passenger safety. Solutions include redesigning bus shelters with reflective or ventilated materials, rotating shifts, and enforcing occupational safety standards recommended by OSHA and NIOSH, which call for regular rest, hydration, and shaded recovery periods.

Walking and Cycling in a Furnace

Active transportation, walking and cycling, shows a stark drop once temperatures exceed 25°C to 35°C. Cyclists report slower reaction times and heightened perceptions of risk in temperatures above 30°C, while pedestrians shorten journeys or avoid trips altogether. The review highlights examples from Algeria, where older people spend less time in public spaces during the hottest months, while shaded streets and water features significantly improve comfort and usability. In Qatar and southern India, researchers observed that psychological adaptations, such as higher tolerance levels for seasonal heat, do play a role, but these are insufficient to offset the physical dangers of prolonged exposure. The presence or absence of urban greenery, shaded walkways, and “vegetation islands” often determines whether people continue walking or cycling during heatwaves. Yet inequities abound: wealthier neighborhoods enjoy leafy shade, while poorer ones are left exposed.

The Cost of Inaction

The report is candid about the barriers to adaptation. It points to data gaps, fragmented governance, inequitable planning, and the risk of maladaptation. Reflective pavements, for instance, may reduce surface temperatures but raise mean radiant heat for pedestrians, while some heat-resistant asphalts perform poorly under freeze-thaw cycles, creating new hazards. The authors urge governments and planners to approach adaptation holistically, weighing trade-offs and integrating climate risk into transport appraisals.

The final message is as practical as it is urgent: adaptation is cheaper than repair. A kilometer of reflective pavement coating may cost around $60,000 today but could save multiples of that in avoided maintenance and damage costs later this century. With global temperatures continuing their upward trajectory, the cost of inaction will be borne not only in dollars but in lives lost, mobility disrupted, and economies slowed. The World Bank’s review ultimately emphasizes that transport resilience must now take center stage in climate adaptation strategies, with equity, foresight, and scientific evidence guiding the way forward.