(The following story by Cailin McGough appeared on the Frederick News-Post website on June 15.)
FREDERICK, Md. — As temperatures climb above 100 degrees, heat restrictions can mean a slower ride home for MARC train riders.
Restrictions limit speed on the track in case trains should encounter “kinks” — places where rails have shifted as a result of the heat.
Kinks are most likely to occur now, as cooler spring weather gives way to summer heat, said John Hovatter, Maryland Transit Administration’s director of MARC train and commuter bus services.
“What they look for is drastic changes in temperature,” Hovatter said. “In other words, last week it was 70 degrees, and then it’s 100. Those are the things that really affect the rail.”
Monday afternoon, the Camden line closed for 30 minutes because of a kink between the Dorsey and St. Denis stops. Wednesday, a kink developed on Metrorail’s orange line. Hovatter said kinks can derail a train, though MARC has never had an incident with kinks.
CSX, which operates the Brunswick and Camden lines, decides when restrictions will be placed. CSX spokesman Bob Sullivan said they are meant to protect the track and therefore reduce the possibility of derailment.
“It is done really out of an abundance of caution,” he said.
Rails expand in the heat. Because continuous welded rails do not have gaps for pressure to be released, they can shift, resulting in a kink.
“You’ll look at the track, and all of a sudden you’ll see it going out one way or the other,” Sullivan said.
CSX engineering staff visually inspect tracks at least twice a week, but do additional inspections when temperatures change dramatically or remain above about 90 degrees for several days, Sullivan said.
Heat restrictions are generally issued by early afternoon. Because Brunswick line trains are in Washington until their departure, heat restrictions do not automatically cause delays, Hovatter said. Instead, they add time over the course of the route.
When heat restrictions are issued, trains are required to go 20 mph below the normal maximum track speed.
Riders on MARC’s train 877 to Martinsburg encounter the worst delays during heat restrictions because of the train’s express schedule and trip length, according to the MTA’s website.
Amtrak, which owns the Penn line, also issues heat restrictions. However, the reduction in speed is less noticeable, Hovatter said, because Amtrak’s tracks are built for faster travel.
“When you drop the speed of a 125-mph train, you only drop it to 110, so it’s not that drastic,” he said.
Hovatter said the delays don’t affect daily ridership on the Brunswick line, which grew from 6,900 in July 2007 to more than 8,100 in March. Regular MARC train riders know to expect heat restrictions at this time of year, he said.
Frederick resident Rick Henry rides the MARC to his job with a government contractor in Washington.
Friday afternoon, he took the train home after heat restrictions had been issued on the Brunswick line. After five years, he knows to expect heat restrictions once June arrives — the ride is a bit slower, but he can think of worse ways to commute.
“You figure your other choice is to drive down (I-)270,” he said.