Note that the Swiss railway is charged fines for lateness to be paid to the state - so while I wouldn't say it's impossible that they just went and decided to take these measures to prevent rail buckling proactively, it's just as likely that they did the cost vs. payoff math.

So yes, society did solve this problem by electing officials who put those clauses into the railway's operating license - but there are a lot of steps in there that shouldn't be overlooked.