Wildfires are sweeping across southwestern Europe, driven by record heat and forcing more than 325,000 people from their homes in France and Spain, with authorities warning against rail travel in the affected regions.

As of 22 July 2026, more than 321,000 hectares have already burned across the European Union, more than double the usual number of fires for this time of year. And the peak of the season is still to come.

Fire hits Europe’s railways directly. In recent weeks, infrastructure managers in several countries have had to suspend services as flames reached their lines.

EIM, the association of European Rail Infrastructure Managers, has already made the case for flood risks in its March 2026 Position Paper on investing in climate-resilient rail infrastructure under the next MFF4; the wildfires now sweeping France, Spain Italy and other European countries show that the same argument applies, with equal force, to fire.

Wildfires are, first and foremost, a human, environmental and social tragedy. They are also a direct threat to rail transport. A rail line lost to fire is never only a repair bill: it severs supply chains, forces freight back onto congested roads, drives up emissions, and erodes market competitiveness.

EIM recalls a simple truth: rail is critical infrastructure that must be protected before disaster strikes, not rebuilt after it. EIM urges Europe’s decision-makers to invest in resilience of rail as critical infrastructure before the next fire.

EIM therefore reiterates its call on the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission to make climate adaptation of rail infrastructure — including protection against wildfire — a dedicated funding priority in the next Multiannual Financial Framework. EIM stands ready to work with the EU institutions and Member States to make Europe's railways fire resilient.

Prevention costs a fraction of reconstruction; and the logic of resilience is the same for whichever hazard strikes: €1 invested in wildfire prevention saves an estimated €4–€7 in potential future damage.

Yet the financial commitment still does not match this political ambition.