Trains that can withstand extreme heat have been ordered by Eurostar as it expects temperatures to soar across Europe.
The cross-Channel travel operator has boosted the specifications of dozens of new double-decker Celestia trains to make them resilient to conditions of up to 55C rather than 45C.
The £1.7 billion order of 200-metre trains, which are not due to be delivered until 2031, will see changes to the material used in components in the air-conditioning units.
They will offer 20 per cent more capacity to support Eurostar's launch of direct services to Geneva and Frankfurt.
Over the last month extreme temperatures in Europe have caused delays and cancelations on services from London to the Continent.
Services between Brussels and the French border have been running slower than usual.
Eurostar blamed “adverse weather conditions” for the delays.
Scorching temperatures have seen western Europe record its hottest June on record.
At least 11 people have died and 19 others are missing in a wildfires that have ravaged southern Spain.
The heatwave in London is expected to last days longer than previously predicted with the hot weather set to last at least another week.
The Met Office is forecasting daily highs in the capital no lower than 29C through until the end of next week.
Temperatures exceeded 34C in the capital on Thursday and a high of 31C was predicted in the city on Friday.
Outside London, Anglian Water announced a hosepipe ban for its more than five million customers in the East of England.
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Officials warned that drought conditions are increasingly likely while the nation swelters in temperatures set to climb as high as 36C in the Midlands as the weekend nears.
Gwendoline Cazenave, chief executive of Eurostar, told The Telegraph: “We thought, hey, this is northern Europe — the UK, Germany, Switzerland — and in France we don’t go south of Paris, so up to 45 degrees is OK.
“Then, a week ago, after the last heatwave, we decided to take the 55C option. We are buying trains that will last 30 years, and we thought maybe in the 2060s, even in the UK, the temperatures could reach those levels. It’s more expensive but it will be worth it.”