(The following article by Jessica Fargen was posted on the Boston Herald website on August 2.)
BOSTON — Today’s extreme heat could leave train commuters steaming.
Riders might be sweating out 20- to 30-minute delays on the commuter rail and some subway lines during their commute if the MBTA slows down trains to avoid possible derailments.
T General Manager Dan Grabauskas said if the mercury hits 100, the T will slow all above-ground trains to 40 mph as a precaution. Some commuter trains go 60 mph or more and parts of the Red Line in Dorchester, Braintree and Quincy go 50 mph. When temperatures hit the mid-90s, the heat can cause the rail to expand and develop heat kinks, which can lead to a derailment.