Extreme heat is taking its toll on rail transportation along the Northeast Corridor, with transit agencies and Amtrak all feeling the impact and taking operational measures. Here’s a rundown as of this evening (Tuesday, July 16):
— NJ Transit says it is experiencing heat-related equipment issues affecting air condition and other electronic components, which could lead to delays, or cancellation or combining of some rail trips over the next 48 to 72 hours. “Our rail maintenance crews are working around the clock to make the necessary repairs and restore affected equipment to revenue service as quickly as possible,” the agency says in an advisory on its website. Passengers are advised to check line-specific accounts on X (formerly Twitter); the Travel Alerts and Advisories section of the website; or the agency’s mobile app for up-to-date information.
— New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority outlined plans to deal with the heat on Monday, ranging from extending hours for its waiting rooms on the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad to implementing additional subway track patrols to watch for heat kinks and other rail problems. The full outline of those plans is available here.
WABC-TV reports as of 7:45 p.m. ET that third-rail power has been lost at the Delancy Street-Essex Street station in Lower Manhattan, disrupting service on New York City Transit’s F, J, and M subway lines, and causing delays on the B and D lines. It is not currently clear if the issue is heat-related.
— DC Metrorail placed an above-ground speed restriction of 35 mph in effect systemwide after rail temperatures exceeded 135 degrees earlier today. This follows a service disruption Monday because of a heat kink in the Crystal City area on Monday. Virginia Railway Express and MARC commuter trains also were operating with heat restrictions, WRC-TV reports.
— Amtrak issued an advisory on Monday that high temperatures may require trains to operate at lower speeds between noon and 8 p.m., resulting in delays of up to 60 minutes.
The temperature in Washington, D.C., was still 99 degrees as of 7:50 p.m. ET tonight, with a forecast high of 98 for Wednesday before some cooling begins Thursday. Other Wednesday forecast highs by the National Weather Service include 98 in Philadelphia; 95 in Newark, N.J., and 93 in New York City.
— Updated at 8 p.m. CT with report of New York subway issues.
One time I was in Washington DeeCee it was 113 degrees F. Nothing shut down.
America has the world’s worst weather — extreme temperature variances, tornados, hurricanes, blizzards, rain, drought, you name it. How is it that with all our technological advantages our railroads can’t deal with this stuff anymore.
I have lived through very hot summers and very cold winters. I don’t remember the railroads having these issues.
That’s because you’re imagining things. According to NOAA the all time high in DC is 106.
That is NOT a picture of heat kink, sorry, that is just a minor heat track deformation…a heat kink, is literally what is says, a kink in the rail with a sharper indication of deformity. One of CWR(continuous welded rail)’s benefits is REDUCED incidence of heat related issues when it comes to extreme heat.
How about composite bushing that shrinks the hotter it gets. Put one every mile or so on the welded rail lines.
This hppens every Summer. It gets hot in the NEC. The RR’s know what to do.