The Texas power grid and public health are not the only things threatened by increasing temperatures. Train tracks can be adversely affected by extreme heat as well.
As a safety precaution, Dallas Area Rapid Transit decreased the speed of its trains due to high temperatures on Thursday.
Railroad tracks can undergo a process known as lateral thermal buckling, which occurs when these steel tracks expand and warp due to excessive heat. This warping can result in extensive and costly repairs and even train derailments, according to Texas A&M’s Center for Railway Research.
“Slower moving trains exert less additional force on the tracks, which helps to prevent buckling,” Business Insider explained.
The state of Texas currently leads the nation in terms of hazardous derailments, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
“DART light rail passengers should expect delays of 10-15 minutes due to these speed restrictions. We encourage riders to allow extra travel time to make connections,” DART stated in a service alert for Thursday.
Temperatures across the region on July 13 ranged from 99 degrees to as high as 109 in some areas. Maximum heat indices were even higher across north Texas, with some areas reaching “apparent temperatures” as high as 115.
DART plans to continue monitoring weather conditions across North Texas to determine whether additional speed restrictions must be implemented. As of 2 p.m. Friday, no such service alerts had been announced.
“Hot and uncomfortable conditions” are expected to continue this weekend into the following week, with temperatures rising into the triple digits and heat indices rising as high as 110 degrees. A chance of scattered showers will be present over the weekend.
North Texans are advised to continue taking heat safety precautions.
This year, Dallas is taking part in a federal heat-tracking campaign led by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The purpose of the initiative is to identify urban hotspots and collect data that could help researchers find ways to alleviate the effects of rising heat levels, The Dallas Express reported.