The Climate Adaptation Strategy for Transport sets a vision for a well-adapted transport system that is resilient to the changing climate
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The Department for Transport (DfT) in the UK published their Climate Adaptation Strategy for Transport (CAST) on 18 December 2025. You can access the strategy here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/climate-adaptation-strategy-for-transport
The changing climate is already adversely impacting UK transport. Increasingly frequent and severe flooding, heatwaves, storms and sea-level rise are damaging assets, disrupting services and reducing reliability across transport modes.
Recent events such as Storms Bram, Claudia and Amy demonstrate an increasing need for the network to be prepared for the impacts of climate change now and in the future. In the announcement supporting the publication, the DfT said: “We want our transport system to be flexible, responsive, reliable and operate safely, so people can travel with confidence and goods arrive on time.”
CAST supports the transport system to prepare for the impacts of climate change by:
The strategy does not aim to provide all the answers or prescribe how organisations manage their individual assets. Instead, it seeks to empower the transport sector to act by providing guidance, promoting adaptation reporting and addressing the evidence gaps.
CAST reflects feedback to the 2024 consultation, ‘Fit for a changing climate: Adapting the UK’s transport system.’ CIHT responded to the consultation – click here to read the response.
Summary of actions in the strategy include:
· To set long-term strategic direction for adapting the transport sector, the DfT will:
o provide assurance and confidence by setting stronger objectives for climate adaptation
o implement climate resilience standards by 2030 as committed to in UK infrastructure: a 10 year strategy
· To enable transport operators to mainstream climate adaptation, the DfT are:
o exploring options for developing transport appraisal guidance following the recent addition of adaptation concepts into transport analysis guidance (TAG)
o co-sponsoring a new publicly available standard that will set out how to develop climate adaptation pathways for infrastructure
o developing guidance to support the transport sector to identify interdependencies and cascading climate impacts
o developing guidance to support the implementation of measures that increase climate resilience while also enhancing natural habitats and biodiversity
· To strengthen the evidence base that underpins decision making, the DfT are:
o co-funding the the National Hub for Decarbonised, Adaptable and Resilient Transport Infrastructures research (DARe), delivering research, data and tools to support adaptation action in the transport sector
o rolling out a climate resilience research programme to accelerate the development of guidance, tools and solutions on climate-related risks and vulnerabilities of the transport system
o publishing foundational research in early 2026 that examines what data exists to assess the resilience of the transport network to climate change and identifying actions to fill gaps
o delivering a climate risk data improvement plan for transport
· Focusing on distinct parts of the transport sector:
o the Department for Transport (DfT) will provide £1 billion funding for key local highway enhancements projects to enhance and repair run-down transport infrastructure and futureproof England’s local road network
o National Highways will expand adaptation within the third Road Investment Strategy, with a stronger focus on long-term climate adaptation strategies
o Network Rail will establish their first regional long-term adaptation pathway strategies to identify high-priority locations for adaptation action
o DfT and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) will implement a suite of measures to improve awareness, understanding and planning for climate risks across the aviation sector
o DfT will trial a regular monitoring survey for the maritime sector to gather information on the disruptions from climate change
The strategy also stated that DfT, in partnership with the UK Roads Leadership Group (UKRLG), is updating the ‘Code of Practice for Well Managed Highways’ to provide guidance to local highway authorities on maintaining highway infrastructure in a changing climate.
DfT has also developed practical tools to support the transport sector, including Climate Change Risk Assessment Guidance, Transport Hazard Summaries and an online interactive tool to help identify best practice adaptation solutions.
Image of flooding and a car
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