How does existing data improve decision making? A case study of wind-related incidents on rail network

Weather impacts on rail performance is complex. In this paper, we present an empirical data analysis of train delays, which were particularly attributed to wind, within the Anglia Route of Great Britain's railway network. This investigation involves a variety of data sources that are relevant to those railway incidents, including their detailed records, historic weather and trackside vegetation conditions and so on. Our work briefly explores how those data could be exploited in order to gain a deeper insight into the occurrence of the incidents, given the correlations between various factors, such as wind speed and tree density surrounding the incident sites. The survey findings will serve to underlie further analyses by using more advanced statistical approaches, for which specific recommendations are also made.