KENSINGTON, Md. — Small heat kinks were found by CSX this week on tracks on the same rail line where an Amtrak train derailed Monday after an engineer saw a bend in the rails, a wire service reported.
Two small heat kinks, rail bends that often are caused by high temperatures, were found Wednesday on a section of track between Germantown and Boyds, according to CSX spokeswoman Kathy Burns.
Burns said CSX was working on the section where the kinks were found, the longest of which was 3 inches. The irregularities were fixed by late Wednesday and were likely a result of the rail work, she said.
“We’re not seeing unusual stuff happen on the track,” she said.
More than 100 people were injured when the Amtrak train jumped the tracks in Kensington. National Transportation Safety Board investigators said they found a 30-inch bend in the track after the crash, but wouldn’t say if the misalignment was to blame.
CSX put a new policy in place Tuesday that requires all passenger trains running on CSX rails to obey lower freight train speeds when the air temperature tops 90 degrees for two or more straight days.
The heat orders took effect Wednesday and slowed commuter trains in Maryland, Virginia and several other states. CSX heat inspections Thursday also caused delays – Maryland Rail Commuter reported delays of up to 40 minutes on its Brunswick line.